Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (4)

How many saved?

right question?

How many?

Saints

majority few and sometimes very very few

a few most

Scripture

1 tim 2:4 “all to be saved”

and yet Matt 7:17.. “few find it”

Matt 22:14 “Many called, few are chosen”

Christ implies few

no outright answer, just this:

strive narrow gate

I’ll try leave words as are:

not claim most are damned, but will not soften the words, so take the Sacraments and virtue very seriously

severe for me, most tradition suggests clerics are judged harsher

Right question?

sometimes asking: how holiness is enough?

can guess well how much do by how many make it

makes holiness a mercenary thing

many parables seem condemning this thinking

relation God as paid mercenary rather than his loyal knight

hired servant than loving child

pretend love payday rather than love for affection

instead seek God for God

we should seek to be good for God’s (the Good) sake who IS the reward of heaven

Good goodness sake

Fear God first step wisdom Prov 9:10, BUT

perfect love casts out fear 1 John 4:18.

2 Types of love

filial love vs servile love God out of what pay us

perfect vs imperfect contrition same basis

imperfect is enough with confession, rest assured, but want aim at perfect

rejecting sin because of God’s (the Good) sake.

Goodness for goodness sake.

Imperfections Love

when

avoid evil only b/c personal pain

fall into mortal sin and so plan confession but think damned anyhow so ‘might well sin a bit until next confession'

'too caught up likely make it to heave'

As bad as is, better than some,

many unconcerned with painful consequence sin, but first God

most rarely if at all go confession or set deadlines for sin, but should think even if doomed I shall not sin

few think heaven or hell at all, even if should be more concerned w/ pleasing God

quite imperfect b/c focused on self and payment.

Conclusion

How many saved?

prob wrong question.

Good to know fears of hell,

Christ himself does

but only first step of wisdom

real wisdom God for His own sake

after all, as the Church teaches it is God (the Good) who is the main reward of heaven anyhow

Good for Goodness sake.

Notes

Me

filial love vs selfish with the idea hell

“How Many are saved”

short take from the old homily on this

almost wrong question, but good answer for wrong question

Tie in discipline from 2nd reading

Commentators

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