HHH This event gives insight into the way God judges an act. It would confirm what is already known, that God discards the accidental form of an act and judges according to its conformance to his own fundamental virtues.
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It may surprise the reader to learn that it is a matter of Catholic doctrine that God’s original design was the divinization of each individual, (CCC 398).
Incorporation into Jesus, first the human nature of Jesus then his divine nature was God’s intended life path for every person. The cross was not part of the original plan, but a latter obstacle which Jesus overcame, (CCC 398, Ep 1:4, Mt 25:34).
God’s union with man proceeds as planned, not because of sin, but in spite of sin.
With no death as part of the original plan, our divinization was to occur in this life.III Jesus would have come as planned, but found no sin or sinners to overcome prior to making union with us. Heaven (who is the person of Christ) would have III We were never intended to die, so our divinization (CCC 398, 2Pet 1:4), was to occur in this life on earth. We would have entered directly into the divine nature of Jesus; what prevents this direct divinization now is sin and imperfection, so now our first participation in Christ is in his human nature, (which explains why we do not walk about divine), then in his divine nature, after we attain perfection of will. We would have entered into the body of Christ via the Eucharist.
Those we call saints have often attained the divine union or marriage in this life, their supernatural miracles are an indication of this, but not the core of it. Divine union in this life is limited to union of wills, the body stills dies.
Regarding entry into the body of Christ via the Eucharist ― this was likely the only originally designed means. Baptism (which also repairs sin), was devised by Christ as a response to sin, but sin was never intended and Baptism was devised by God only after sin affected creation. Our original destiny was divinization as the body of Christ in the absence of sin (CCC
398), and the Eucharist was likely the intended means of this inclusion into the body of Christ.
Jesus speaks of this original sanctifying purpose in Jn 53-54, “I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” With the onset of sin, baptism is now the sanctifying grace, and the Eucharist is now understood as an actual grace.
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literally been on earth, and those attaining divinization would have guided the upcoming generations.
This Catholic idea meshes with the NDE idea that our goal in life is spiritual growth and evolution. Our salvation is to become the body of Christ. From eternity God planned our communion with him, not as our salvation, but simply as the final step in our growth as persons. The idea that God planned communion with humanity from eternity has support in scripture (Ep 1:4, Mt 25:34, 2Pet 1:4) and the Catholic catechism, (CCC
398). Jesus Christ came as planned to make this communion, but because of intervening original sin, he first had to make the necessary reformation of sin into virtue.
It is a worthwhile topic for meditation to examine how creation might have proceeded in the absence of sin. Humanity would have perfected community living and personal morality, and would be ready for communion when Jesus arrived. We would have skipped Heaven altogether and entered into the divine Christ here on earth via the Eucharist. “Resurrection”
would not be part of our vocabulary, and we might speak of the
“Perfection” instead.JJJ
But sin did enter into creation, and it is something that must be understood. Sin is a lacking in the wholeness of an act.
Sin is often effected as proactive evil, but it has its beginning as deficiency.
The effect of sin, which is a lacking or privation of goodness proper to the act, may be effected as a proactive evil.
JJJ Sanctifying grace is the means by which anyone or anything is included into the body of Christ: humans, angels, Eucharist, and in the final formation even the lion that lies down with the lamb. Christ extends himself into an individual by the infusion of sanctifying grace. The Holy Spirit is the giver, and one of the gifts of sanctifying grace, the end result of which is membership in the body of Christ.
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A proactive good act will become a selfish act, but will remain proactive. In this way evil may not only be deficient in good, but proactive in its evil.
In correct moral functioning, we give due regard to self, others and God. If we give unjustified emphasis to self, or we choose to disregard God or others, our act is then lacking what should be part of it. The resultant act is (usually) weighted toward self. A practical example might be the virtue of prudence, which when corrupted toward self, becomes hoarding or greed; self respect becomes arrogance.
As designed, humanity had both individual and communal attributes. Goodness, both physical and spiritual, were intended to be shared among one family and larger community. With the advent of sin, the communal attributes of humanity propagated sin along with goodness.
It is worth the time to study the virtue/sin transformation, since it may be reversed for spiritual advancement or salvation of others, and the betterment of our world.KKK On the positive side, the overwhelming example is Jesus, and now the entire body of Christ.LLL On the cross, the bodily suffering that Jesus underwent atoned for sin, thus allowing sinners to be incorporated into the body of Christ. Sin may also be reformed into virtue by moral trial and triumph.
Jesus did this in the Garden of Gethsemane.
KKK Remediation of evil and salvation of soul are two distinct events.
Remediation of evil into virtue is the necessary step prior to one’s communion with Christ.
LLL One theory of how exactly Jesus turns our sin into his virtue, and our self into his very person is as follows. Jesus accepts rather than deflect or propagate another’s sin, and willfully turns it into virtue: greed is made detachment, irreverence is made reverence, anger is made patience. In doing this, Christ makes our sin into his very virtue…union with God.
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In a related case, in 1Cor 5:5 a man suffers his own sin in his body rather than in his virtues or soul, so that he may still attain salvation. Here the suffering is not taken on voluntarily, nevertheless the effect is the same. The book of Revelation speaks of this involuntary reformative suffering on a world wide scale. To take on suffering voluntarily like Jesus, produces a better quality of virtue.
A textbook example which really lays out sin for examination, its causes, effects, and interchangeability occurs in 1Chronicles chapter 21. King David takes a census of Israel, which is an offense against God. The people of Israel belong to God (not David), when David counts them, he is implying that they are his to count. God offers him the choice of punishments: famine, war or plague. David chooses plague which kills 70,000.
The theology of the matter is that as God’s particular people they are under God’s greater protection, but as David’s people, they do not enjoy the same degree of protection. In this episode the choice to sin is fulfilled in the consequences of sin.
A lesson from this tragedy is that even our immaterial actions have consequences, and they may not be in the same form as our offense. We recall the ten commandments in which offenses against God are at the top of the list.
God cannot make evil of any sort, but as our parent, he does assign our evil (generated from our sin), so that the maximum good may come of it. God may make this assignment directly or via natural means.
There is much more good news than bad in NDE
salvation. Francine B. was quizzed by devils as to her religious beliefs, when she replied that she believed in Jesus, she was released from impending Hell.56 By her belief alone, Francine had a participation in Christ, she was a member of Christ, who is the entire body of Christ, and was not eligible for Hell.
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Judas was saved, or so it seems from the account of Jeffery C., who found himself on the brink of Hell, only to have Judas recommend that he pray to Jesus for salvation.57 He did so, and was rescued. A condemned Judas would be incapable of recommending prayer to Jesus.
The main judgment event is the life review, in which one judges one’s self against the ideals of God, of which the NDE
visitor now has profound knowledge. Trial scenes are occasionally recorded, but we seem to place ourselves where we belong, with those victorious in life receiving a great homecoming celebration. Those unable to join Heaven seem to seek out the highest level into which they are “allowed”, and engage in any available purgation activity.