I kinda like getting older, Denis. I was always fond of older people. I'd love to have a white beard and hair like Santa Claus.
I I think the Church has never definitively stated the fate of unborn babies who die for whatever reason before birth because in Her wisdom She knows it would be an encouragement to abortion and a salve to the twisted consciences of abortionists who could then start to claim that they were merely helping to send these aborted babies to Heaven. One might call it Holy Constructive Ambiguity on the part of the Church.
An old, very holy priest I knew once, told me that infants who die before birth, go to heaven. That didn't surprise me, but what did surprise me was his remark that the children continue to grow in Heaven. With Mary as their mother and Jesus as a big brother. Wonderful.
I read one time of someone who had a Near Death Experience and visited heaven. She said that Our Lady and other women saints take care of the young est as they grow up. This always seemed to be to be logical. But who knows? Heaven is full of mysteries.
Of course the most famous person who died and went to heaven without sacramental Baptism or visible Communion was the good thief. Our first Saint.
I wonder if the angels gathered up the crumbs of Consecrated Bread left over from The Last supper and fed them to all good souls who awaited the triumph of Calvary. The tiniest particle contains the full Mystery. Ven Anne Emerich says the angels gathered all the pieces of Christ's flesh torn from His body during His Passion and His Mother mopped up the blood shed during His scourging.
I think it was Blessed Catherine Emmerich who suggested that there was a place in TIbet High up o nthe Roof of the World were al lthe special things like the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail , the Ten Commandments, St Josephs Staff and so are kept by special minders. I always liked this story. Why not? It would make a nice film for Hollywood.
Today I thought of the time that Jesus told us the doctor is not needed by those who are well but by those who are sick. He also told us that many are called but few are chosen. So perhaps the few chosen ones are well and the many sick ones are called. Catholics are called to cooperate in the saving work of Christ. We are called to help the Doctor and to share the burden of his work, to take up our cross and follow Him. In this lies the mystery and purpose of life. Perhaps this is what Padre Pio meant when he spoke of the value of suffering. More suffering here, less suffering in Purgatory. But only suffering for the sake of Christ.
I don't know that the Church actually teaches this, but it sounds nice. What a horrid, horrid crime abortion is. I remember reading somewhere that the children at Garabandal were told many mothers would kill their children and the seers were horrified. They didn't know what abortion was. Maybe Glenn or Joe might know better the quote if they wander by this posting. Imagine how angry God must be at these people. Here he has created a unique person He imagined from the beginning of creation. Gave them each wonderful gifts all of their own to share with the world and they are killed by their own parents before they can even draw their first breath. This truly has to be the greatest evil ever thought of by a human mind.
The thoughts keep coming. Jesus always told the truth. But scripture also tells us that no book could contain all He said. It seems, therefore, that there is still more to discover: we have all we need to know for salvation but not all there is to know. This is confirmed by the Catechism 1257 that states "God has bound salvation to the Sacrament of Baptism but He is not bound by His sacraments." And the efficacy of the two other Church approved baptisms, blood and desire, are confirmed in 1258. "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, IN A WAY KNOWN TO GOD, of the Pascal Mystery." (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World No 1260) And so we must wait to see what peoples, other than Catholics, have reached purgatory and heaven and to understand how God brought them into the Church so they could be saved. No salvation outside the church still holds good.
Thanks Booklady. I am really enjoying travelling free on buses and trains again. So many people there!
When I log on to MOG, I don't get to read all the threads and tend to miss so much, therefore, I normally do a lot of catching up and going to different links and watching the videos. So it's Happy Birthday Padraig and Sorry I'm late.
