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Outside A State Of Grace, And Fear

I'm in this debate forum with Catholics and Reformed, and the Reformed keep saying, "Catholic doctrine compels one to conclude that one could and does go from regenerate to unregenerate and back again. And that's no way to live." Let me tell you about that.

I would not say I know for certain that I'd have gone to Hell if I died. God's mercy is...

But I know the worst part of judging yourself unworthy to receive the Eucharist, the Bread of Life, is that when you're really stuck, you don't care. Lesser sins really don't do what the grave ones do. You can experience what it means to cut yourself off from God. There is no doubt of it; we are different people at times like that. You lose the direction of your life; you sense yourself choosing against what you know to be true, because something earthly is preferable, for any number of reasons.

But mercy comes again. God says, "Hey! This isn't what you want. This isn't who you are. Come back!" Being in a state of mortal sin (or quite probably so) is like cutting off a dear friend for no good reason. You just ignore them, as if they don't exist. Except the friend is God. One other thing: It's way worse than giving people time and space; that happens. That's OK. But if you are hating God, there is no talking; there is no future, and no past. This is why people persisting in grave sin stop going to Mass: nowhere does God speak louder (or softer, as the case may be) than in the Sacrifice of the Mass, and they know it.

The only thing I'm afraid of is turning into the guy who doesn't care to hear God's voice anymore. That is Hell on Earth, a foretaste of damnation, when Love will fall silent forever.
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Jayson F. said…
I noticed that comment and wanted to clarify that its impossible even for the Catholic to go from "regenerate" to "unregenerate". Once you're born again, you're truly born again. But I thought that would have been pedantic because I knew what was meant. :P
8:21 PM
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