In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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My Attorney
(CAUTION: At the end, for perspective, please read the "endnote" below.)
After living a "decent" life, my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor." He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my lawyer, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed familiar to me.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the judge in full flowing robe. He commanded an awesome presence as he moved across the room. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. As he took his seat behind the bench, he said, "Let us begin." The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my representative who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I've done? Satan finished with a fury and said, "This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.
When it was his turn, my lawyer first asked if he might approach the bench. The judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan, and beckoned him to come forward. As he got up and started walking, I was able to see him in his full splendor and majesty. I realized why he seemed so familiar. This was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the judge, "Hi Dad," and then he turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, I won't deny any of these allegations. And yes the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished." Jesus took a deep breath and turned to his Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life and he has accepted me as his Savior, so he is mine." My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the book of life and no one can snatch him from me. Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy."
As Jesus sat down, he quietly paused, looked at his Father and replied, "There is nothing else that needs to be done. I've done it all." The judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from his lips... "This man is free. The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed." As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up, and I’ll win the next one." I asked Jesus as he gave me my instructions where to go next, "Have you ever lost a case?" Christ lovingly smiled and said, "Everyone that has come to me and asked me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, Paid in Full."
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ENDNOTE: Certain Christians and Christian denominations interpret the Bible in general and the New Testament in particular to mean that it is sufficient to be saved for all eternity to "be born again" or to "be saved", that is, to have made once a sincere confession of sins to the Lord Jesus Christ and to have made in Him a sincere profession of faith. Then, no matter how one may sin again, all one has to do is be sorry and repent again and maintain one's faith in Jesus as one's Lord and Savior. Such Christians can give you the day, date, and time that they "were saved. Others believe that any return to sin nullifies the "contract" and that this merits a ticket straight to hell for all eternity. The problem with all the possible variations on this particular theology is that these various interpretations of the Good News have the fatal flaw of being "materialistic philosophies" or based in a "materialistic philosophical" world view. In other words, if you "do this particular formula" then you will "get that desired result". In effect, such flawed perspectives or interpretations simply "don't know the Lord or his ways", or to put it in the words of Psalm 95 verses 10-11: "For forty years I loathed that generation and said, 'They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.' Therefore in my anger I swore, 'They shall not enter my rest.'” Such theologizing is two dimensional and does not take into consideration the dynamic process of human relationships or of the relationship between God and us and between us and God. Our Creator God loves all that He has created and desires our eternal salvation. The Holy Trinity consistently since the beginning of salvation history has manifested and continues to manifest towards human beings unconditional love and patience, respecting our free will and waiting for us to understand that we are designed for fullness of life and happiness through a life-giving personal relationship of love, gratitude, and worship towards God, including enriched and merciful relations with all others. Jesus demonstrated how we can give a return of love to God the Father by making of our life a gift of love. Saint Pope John Paul II called this "the law of the gift". This means then that any profession of faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior must be accompanied and followed by genuine words and acts of love and mercy towards others, including enemies, by following in the footsteps of Jesus forgiving from the Cross all those who played roles as his executioners and tormentors. Only those souls will damn themselves for all eternity who to the end persistently and unrepentedly refuse the Creator's overtures of merciful love and salvation while at the same time failing and refusing to love their neighbor.
Link to MORE INSPIRATIONAL TEXTS
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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so may you be pleased to find here a variety of helps to the life of faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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