Hello Trevor,

The simple answer to your last question is that after committing mortal sin (and this includes knowing it was seriously wrong and freely choosing to do it anyway), we are destined for Hell,
or at least headed in that direction. Nevertheless, after sincere repentance, which includes sacramental Confession for a Catholic, we are again, destined for Heaven.

This is because Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross paid for our sins and we are able to take advantage of God's infinite Mercy by sincere repentance and Confession.

Sacrificing one's life for another is the ultimate act of love, as Jesus Himself displayed. Whether a particular sacrifice is considered martyrdom and allows for immediate entrance into Heaven is God's judgment.

Peace,

Paul

Hello Trevor,

It is safe to say that God offers love to all people for two basic reasons:

1. Love is His very Nature, and
2. Human beings are particularly made in His Image.

However, it is very important that we free-willed creatures love Him back. Being a good person is tricky because since our minds have been darkened by sin on our own, we cannot know perfectly how to be good. If you were to take a poll on the so-called controversial issues of our day:

• abortion
• homosexual activity
• divorce
• contraception
• premarital sex
• etc.

you would not get a consensus on what is good. This is because many people rely solely on their own thinking, which is clouded by:

• personal bias
• imperfect catechetical formation
• selfishness
• the wayward culture
• past experience, and the like.

• Does this mean there is no truth or goodness and that everything is a matter of simple personal opinion?
  
  No.
  

One reason why I love the Church is because She provides an objective measure of truth and goodness that I can bounce my own thinking against. It is the Word of God infallibly taught through the Magisterium of Church, made up of the Pope and bishops in union with him.

Christ set up His Church this way, that He would communicate God's Will pertaining to salvation clearly for all to know. The rich young man in the Gospels asked Jesus,

• What must I do to enter eternal life? (Matthew 19:16-17)

Jesus did not say,

• Go and be a good person according to your own definition of good.

Only God is Good, and He communicates the truth and grace necessary for salvation through His Body, the Church.

• Union with God
• Knowledge of God, and
• the ability to cooperate with Him and His Will

are promised by Him though His Church.  No other religion has this or claims to have this. It is an invaluable gift to us humans through the Catholic Church that Christ established for the sake of our salvation. The Church has the means of salvation.

When it comes to forgiving sins, Jesus came to offer God's forgiveness. He established the Sacrament of Confession in order to do this. (John 20:21-23) God uses certain people as
His instruments and Catholics believe that God forgives our sins through Christ, through His Church, by the instrumentality of His priests. When we hear the words I absolve you of your sins in the sacrament of Confession it is by the authority of Christ that these words are said.

Paul

Hi, Trevor —

If you are in some way, possibly implicit, repentant for all the sins on your conscience and, in sacrificing for your life, you are committing the ultimate act of love toward God — and man
(as opposed to having other motives), then it is possible to be saved, although as my colleague puts it, it's up to God's judgment.

Since serious sin (sexual sin, for example, but also murder, serious theft, serious lies, and others) committed knowingly deprive you of the virtue of self-giving love (theological charity), it's unlikely you would give your life for another in the true sense of self-giving if you had committed and remained in these sins.

In other words, committing a selfless act of self-sacrifice of this sort is more of an indication that you are already saved, than it is a cause of that salvation. So there is hope for such people but I wouldn't rely on this means of getting to Heaven — better to repent now and receive the sacrament of Confession, (if you are a Catholic).

Eric

Hi, Trevor —

You said:
If you had sex before marriage, sometimes lied to people, but are still a good person to your friends and family, are you still destined for Hell?

We get loads of questions dealing with the general question:

• No matter what I believe or do, if I'm a good person, can I still be saved?

I think we are missing a very important catechetical point here.  Everything that God has made is good, very good; just read Genesis.

Nevertheless, when God created Adam and Eve and through their successive copulation, created the human race as we have it today, it wasn't just good, it was supernaturally (good|holy).

Our culture has forgotten about the immortality of our own souls. If our souls were just good, when we died, our souls would also die; but because our souls are more than good, (they are supernatural), they require supernatural care and love. The only ordinary means to receive this supernatural care and love is through the sacraments of the Church.

This is the importance of the sacrament of Confession. Although the priest appears to be a mere man, which he is, Jesus uses the body of the priest to give this supernatural care and love and absolve you of your sins.

You said:
I'm not saying I have a problem with God, just with the institution.

If you view the Catholic Church as the institution, it tells me that you have been viewing the Church incorrectly. I suggestion you buy a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and read it.

Despite what today's cultures says and despite the scandalous behavior among members in our Church, the Catholic Church is not the Church of 'No', but 'the Church of Divine Logic and Love'; you just have to study, what we believe, to see it.

Hope this helps,

Mike