Judgment: How Can You Secure Access to God?

How do we secure access to God during the Judgment?

Today, good Thomas tells us that if we lay aside our vanity; that if we had to face death right now, would any of these honors and pleasures matter in the least?

Rather, he tells us that "Perfect Love*" gives us access to God (1 Jn 4:15-21)*.  When we love God with our whole hear, mind, soul and strength and adopt this to our daily living - then we will achieve perfect love.

I want to talk about "Fear of the Lord" for a moment.  This is not a horrified fear (such as is due to hell), but rather is an extreme form of awe that we experience through an adoring appreciation of God's Holy Power.  And we can observe it regularly if we open our eyes to it.  So Thomas tells us that laying aside fear of God will result in fear of hell - and even that is good if it causes us to refrain from our negative passions.

Book 1, Chapter 24 (on Judgment), paragraph 7

If to this day you had always lived in honors and pleasures, what would if avail you if you were now in a moment to die?

All then is vanity, but to love God and to serve Him alone. Eccl 1:2; Dt 10:20.

For those who love God with their whole heart neither fear death, nor punishment, nor judgment, nor hell; because perfect love gives us secure access to God.

But he that is yet delighted with sin no wonder if he be afraid of death and judgment.

However, it is good that if this love, as yet,  cannot reclaims you from evil, at least the fear of hell might restrain you.

But he that lays aside the fear of God will not be able to continue long in good, but will quickly fall into the snares of the devil.


In finishing this chapter on Judgment, Thomas calls us first to the perfect love of God's Will, as laid out in our daily lives.  And if that doesn't persuade us, then he calls us to look over the edge of the cliff of hell to see what awaits us there....a different type of judgment altogether.

Thanks for reading and praying along with me.

Until next time, when we break open the final chapter of Book 1, Chapter 25, Amendment of Life,
Be imitators of Christ!
tim

*1 Jn 4:15 "Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 16We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 17In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world.i 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God* whom he has not seen. 21This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."

How to Enter the Narrow Gate:Self-discipline

First, it's been almost a month since my last posting.  Sorry for the delay.

Second, there are several people I know with a cancer diagnosis right now.  Please lift them up in prayer right now, for healing and health.  The tribulation these people have to endure lends itself to todays meditation.  They are travelling through the narrow gate.  Our Father.... Hail Mary....  Glory Be....  Thank you for Tom, Stacy, Lori, Jennifer and others out there unknown or un-named.
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As Thomas a'Kempis likes to do, he lists comparisons contrasting our lives now, and what it takes to enter in through the narrow gate (Matt 7:13-14), with the easy lazy spiritual life. 

He tells us that exercising self-discipline now will result in enjoyment in Paradise with Christ:    We can overcome this  fear of eternal separation from God by entering into His reality now.  It is a reality of Love.  Love is the opposite of fear.

From Book 1, Chapter 24, Para 5 & 6.

5. Then shall it be seen that it was the wise in this world who learned for Christ’s sake to be foolish and scorned.

• Then shall all tribulation that has been patiently borne delight us, while the mouth of the ungodly shall be stopped (Ps 107:42).

• Then shall devout rejoice, and the profane shall mourn.

• Then the flesh that has been disciplined shall triumph more than if it had been always pampered in delights.

• Then the humble garment shall reveal its beauty, and the precious robe shall hide itself as rags.

• Then shall the poor cottage shall be held up as more commended than the gilded palace.

• Then long-lasting patience shall have more might than all the power of the world.

• Then simple obedience shall be more highly exalted than the craftiness of the worldly .

6. Then a pure and good conscience shall more rejoice than learned philosophy.


• Then will the disregard of wealth shall have more weight than all the treasure of the children of this world.

• Then shall you find more comfort in having prayed devoutly than in having eaten sumptuously.

• Then you will rejoice more in having kept silent than in having made long speeches.

• Then holy deeds shall be far stronger than many fine words (Jas 1:21-22 and following).

• Then a disciplined life and sincere penitence shall bring deeper pleasure than the delights of this world.


Christ The King



• Therefore, learn now to suffer a little, so that later you may be able to escape more grievous suffering. Try first here, what you are unable to endure hereafter.

• If now you can bear so little, how then will you be able to endure eternal torments? If now a little suffering makes you so impatient, what shall hellfire do then?

• Surely you are cannot able to have both Paradises: taking your fill here in this world, and also reigning with Christ hereafter.

  Thomas' conclusions of these two paragraphs are typical of his plain-spoken nature:  He presents us with the obvious.  Like exercising a muscle, he tells us to work on those behaviors and attitudes NOW which keep us distant from God.  He then tells us what we hear all the time:  You can't have it both ways!

Until next time, thanks for reading and praying along with me.
tim