Reflection on Volunteering

As some might surmise by some of my recent post, I help out with my church's Middle School Youth Group.  The Youth Minister discovered my Bachelor's in Scared Theology and did the whole puppy eye thing and asked if I would volunteer for Youth Group.  Needless to say the puppy eye thing worked.

Thus began my weekly obligation on Sunday evening in which I took nuggets of Theological information wrapped up in fun and talked with the kids.  I have made attempts in the past to volunteer at church, mostly with the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults).  I will say with no ill will that it did not work well.  Most people going through the program were older than me, enough that they were in a different generation than me. 

After every talk I gave there was a complaint; I was unsettling, unfeeling, or unkind.  The last person demanded my removal from the program because I offended her.  Now, I can understand the annoyance of someone younger than you telling you what to do; really, I do.  But I do have a degree in Theology!!!! I know what I'm talking about.  The overall experience was not completely bad - it just left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

So with that experience under my belt I was not sure how good I would be with the Middle School. To my amazement they liked me - they really really like me.  The moms are happy, the kids are having fun and they pay attention.  One Sunday when I told the moms I was going to teach the kids about the Four Lasts Things, they were wary - I don't blame them.  It's a heavy theological topic, but it's something that I was never really taught in Middle or High School.  But the following Sunday a few moms approached me and said that their kids were rapid firing questions at them about the talk and how they were really into it.

This is an instant where I have no shame in saying 'SQUEEEEEEEE!', none at all.

Last Sunday there was no Middle School Youth Group so I helped out with the High School Youth Group in their small group discussions.  I tagged along with another volunteer with her group.  We had fun talking going over what was earlier discussed.  My crowning moment of the evening was when one girl said 'ReTweet that!' to something I said. That's right, I got a non-virtual retweet.

So all in all, am I glad I started volunteering with the Youth Group - Yes.  Now if you will excuse me, I have to get ready for my next talk.

St John Bosco, Patron of Youth Ministries, Ora pro nobis 

The Four Last Things: Part II

What follows is a rough transcript of a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group last Sunday.

We are going to finish up the Four Last Things with Heaven and Hell.

Let’s start with Hell.

This is the worst possible thing to happen to any person, not losing your phone or not getting the latest gadget on the market or being late meeting your friends. No, it’s Hell.

Hell. detail, Bosch

So what is Hell?

It is the complete and willing rejection of God and His love.  It is a complete separation from the source of all goodness. A flat out NO to God.

Think back to the parable of the wedding feast where a king goes out and invites everyone to come, but there is one person who come inappropriately attired and is rejected out into the cold (Matthew 22:1-14).  What is not explained because everyone knew this is that the wedding attire is provided by the host, so that one guest rejected the kind offer of the king and throws it back in his face. Translating this, the soul is provided the opportunity for all the joy and delight for the taking.  But he refuses to put on the commandments of God, the Gospel, and grace which causes the soul, aka the poorly dressed guest, to be cast away.

God does not put people in Hell.  Remember that - He wants us to be with Him. We are made to be in union with God. This union happens in Heaven.  God sent His only Son so that the Gates of Heaven could be open to us.  Think about it – He loves us that much!

So, who gets to Heaven?
Simply put, those who are just, free of guilt and punishment.  There are two types of punishment, eternal and temporal.

Eternal punishment aka guilt is forgiven and removed at Confession with absolution. Temporal punishment is what remains after confession which has to be paid in this life or the next aka Purgatory.

We talked a little about this last week and there was a bit of confusion that I hope to clear it up now.  Purgatory is not a second chance to get into Heaven.  The souls in Purgatory are already going to Heaven, they just have to take a pit stop since nothing unclean can enter into Heaven.  The CCC (1030) states that those who die in God’s friendship and grace but are still imperfect need to undergo purification.

Think of Purgatory as a Hospital for the Soul, or a very Hot Painful Shower for the Soul.

Heaven. detail, Bosch

The living can help the Poor Souls by prayer.  It is considered a Corporal Work of Mercy to visit the cemetery and pray for the dead, especially for those who have no one to pray for them.

After Purgatory is, dramatic music here, HEAVEN!!!

So our goal in life is to get to Heaven and be with God. We were made for Heaven because God wants us there with Him.

The Four Last Things: Part I

The Four Last Things: Part I

What follows is a rough transcript of a talk I gave the Middle School Youth Group a few weeks ago.  It veered off towards the end because the kids had so many good questions. But this is generally what was talked about.

I’m going to talk about the Four Last Things, which are Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. There’s a whole study of it called eschatology, from the Greek word eschata meaning ‘the final things’.  Tonight, we’re just going to talk about the first two, Death and Judgement.

So the first, Death, happens at the end of our earthly life.  Death is a result of sin (Romans 5:12).  To really understand this let’s go back to the beginning – Creation.  Before the Fall of Adam and Eve, they possessed what is called Preternatural Gifts:

• Infused knowledge
• Integrity
• Bodily Immortality

We are just going to focus on Bodily Immortality.  What is important to see here is that Adam and Eve, like we are, were pilgrims on this Earth. The Garden of Eden, what we at times refer to as Paradise, was not Heaven. At some point, they were to pass on to the next life in Heaven, but it would not have been through what we call death.  Bodily immortality was lost when Adam and Eve sinned, thus bodily death entered the world.

Death. detail, Bosch

So what is death exactly?  Simply put, it is when the person’s human body and human soul separate.
That’s it!

But even as we were cut off from God due to sin, God did not reject mankind; He immediately began to work on our Salvation.  In Genesis 3:14-5, in what is referred to as the Protoevangelium (aka first announcement of the Gospels) we get a glimpse of the beginnings of God’s work on Redemption.

Which leads us to the second part of our talk:  Judgement.  When we die we face judgement, the time to choose between good and evil ends at death. There are two types of Judgement:  Particular and Universal.

Particular Judgement is when we die are individually judged by Christ.  At this moment we see our lives the way that God sees us.  We see every act of sin and its consequences and every act of goodness and its consequences. Here we learn if we go to Heaven or Hell.  Those who are saved but still have the stain of sin on their soul must first go through a period of time in Purgatory.

Does anybody know what Purgatory is?
It’s a place of purification, what Pope St Gregory the Great referred to as a purifying fire.

Judgement. detail, Bosch

Is it painful?
Yes, only in so far that you feel the effects of our sin.

We refer to those in Purgatory as the Poor Souls. It is highly recommended and encourage to pray for these Poor Souls to help them shorten their time there and to get to the Beatific Vision.  So in your petition prayers remember those in Purgatory that have no one to pray for them.

Second type of judgement is Universal, sometimes called the Final Judgement:  This happens at the Second coming of Christ aka the of Time.  Each person’s sin is revealed for all to know.

But why is everyone's sins revealed?

Well, God’s justice demands that all will be revealed.  It often seems in life that the wicked get away with their actions and the good suffer. At the Final Judgement we learn that everything is as it should.  God’s mercy and justice will prevail despite some appearances.  This is the main reason why we are taught not to judge others because we never know what is in their hearts, unlike God who does.

One of the things for which we have time to overcome in this life is the sin of pride. It is because of pride that we fear others knowing our inmost dark secrets. The practice of humility, strengthened with frequent sacramental confession can overcome that fear and deepen our spiritual life.

The Four Last Things: Part II