Is it harder for Catholics to get into Heaven?

[LeahInancsi]

Please don't take my question the wrong way and excuse my brevity.

Since many other Christian religions do not have to formally confess their sins, is it easier from them to say a short "Please forgive me God" prayer and be on their way as opposed to Catholics who have to make a formal confession to a priest?

What if I get hit by a truck at a time when I'm in a state of mortal sin and I haven't had been to confession. If I were a Baptist, Methodist, etc., could I ask God for forgiveness through prayer immediately after the sin, but before I was hit by the truck and waltz into Heaven sinless?

[josephback]

Originally Posted by LeahInancsi

Please don't take my question the wrong way and excuse my brevity.

Since many other Christian religions do not have to formally confess their sins, is it easier from them to say a short "Please forgive me God" prayer and be on their way as opposed to Catholics who have to make a formal confession to a priest?

What if I get hit by a truck at a time when I'm in a state of mortal sin and I haven't had been to confession. If I were a Baptist, Methodist, etc., could I ask God for forgiveness through prayer immediately after the sin, but before I was hit by the truck and waltz into Heaven sinless?

Would you be truly repentant? This is the issue. Also, anyone saved outside the Catholic Church is saved despite not being a Catholic. Catholicism might not be easy, but a Catholic can feel/truly be secure. Catholicism is ultimately more secure/easier.

[LeahInancsi]

I know that Catholicism is the WAY. I don't think I could be any other religion.

The reason I ask this question is that my mother died last summer and I am desperate to see her again in Heaven. I'm just afraid I'm going to forget something and not make it. Catholicism can be difficult, but getting to Heaven shouldn't be easy.

[StevenFrancis]

Originally Posted by LeahInancsi

I know that Catholicism is the WAY. I don't think I could be any other religion.

The reason I ask this question is that my mother died last summer and I am desperate to see her again in Heaven. I'm just afraid I'm going to forget something and not make it. Catholicism can be difficult, but getting to Heaven shouldn't be easy.

I pray the Lord accepts your mother with open arms, and blesses and watches over you and your family. I lost my father 2 years ago, and even though he lived a long full life, it's such an odd feeling. I know most of us experience it, but it's still difficult.

The biggest advice I can come up with is to participate fully in the sacramental life. Go to mass, and accept our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Spend some time with Jesus when you can, at the tabernacle. Confess your sins, and make use of the beautiful sacrament of reconcillliation. Pray for others. Help others. Don't hold on to anger or resentments. Be forgiving and merciful to others always.

Essentially, love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul

Love your neighbor as yourself.

This is what Jesus asks of us. If we do these things, we don't even have the ability to conceive of how wonderful a place he is preparing for us. Never stop working towards perfection, and recognize when you fail, and take it to Christ. He wishes for us to be with Him where He is. You are in good hands, and His yoke is light.

His peace be with you,

Steven

[on fire]

i will paraphrase this...to those who have been given much,much will be expected...as Catholics we have been given the fullness of truth,with access to all 7 sacrements to help us on our journey.we have a higher sense of culpability(sic?) that goes with it....but the graces that give us the strength to accomplish it if we truly apply ourselves....peace be with you in your journey....

[Fone Bone 2001]

Originally Posted by LeahInancsi

Please don't take my question the wrong way and excuse my brevity.

Since many other Christian religions do not have to formally confess their sins, is it easier from them to say a short "Please forgive me God" prayer and be on their way as opposed to Catholics who have to make a formal confession to a priest?

What if I get hit by a truck at a time when I'm in a state of mortal sin and I haven't had been to confession. If I were a Baptist, Methodist, etc., could I ask God for forgiveness through prayer immediately after the sin, but before I was hit by the truck and waltz into Heaven sinless?

On the contrary, I think the Sacraments of our faith make getting to heaven far, far easier.

But first, concerning your "getting hit by a truck" scenario: remember that the Church's expectations aren't rules designed to trip us up. Our Lord teaches us that it is not the will of the Father for any of our souls to perish, so He isn't looking for loopholes to manipulate in order to condemn us. He came not to condemn the world, but to save it.

So I think fears about this death by truck scenario are unfounded. As we progress in holiness, at least in my experience, we gradually become less paranoid about the rules, and their true nature becomes apparent. For instance: I go to Mass as often as I can because I love Who and what it offers. If I were ever in a situation in which I was unable to attend Sunday Mass, I'd be supremely irritated by that. It wouldn't be a question of whether I followed the requirement, because there's no part of me that wants to get out of it.

As for other Christian religions, all I can speak from is personal experience here: there are certain habitual grave sins that I would never have overcome if I didn't have the concrete feeling of and requirement for confession. I'd have just committed them over and over again, privately said sorry to God, and then fallen again. Confession makes everything more concrete.

And to actually overcome these sins is to experience real freedom. These sins are not annoying little acts that arbitrarily cause us to go to hell if we die in guilt for them; rather, sin on earth is the beginning of hell itself.

In The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, a character explains to the narrator that the souls in heaven will say they have always been in heaven (even on earth), and the souls in hell will say they have always been in hell (even on earth), and both will speak truly.

Sorry if this is too abstract to help or make sense. But my advice is this: don't let yourself think about the Sacraments in a legalistic way. It's not about the rules. These Sacraments are concrete ways in which Christ helps us, through the ministry of the Church, to participate in divine life and receive sanctifying grace. Sin is slavery, not a violation of some arbitrary law.

[baltobetsy]

Originally Posted by Fone Bone 2001

On the contrary, I think the Sacraments of our faith make getting to heaven far, far easier.

But first, concerning your "getting hit by a truck" scenario: remember that the Church's expectations aren't rules designed to trip us up. Our Lord teaches us that it is not the will of the Father for any of our souls to perish, so He isn't looking for loopholes to manipulate in order to condemn us. He came not to condemn the world, but to save it.

So I think fears about this death by truck scenario are unfounded. As we progress in holiness, at least in my experience, we gradually become less paranoid about the rules, and their true nature becomes apparent. For instance: I go to Mass as often as I can because I love Who and what it offers. If I were ever in a situation in which I was unable to attend Sunday Mass, I'd be supremely irritated by that. It wouldn't be a question of whether I followed the requirement, because there's no part of me that wants to get out of it.

As for other Christian religions, all I can speak from is personal experience here: there are certain habitual grave sins that I would never have overcome if I didn't have the concrete feeling of and requirement for confession. I'd have just committed them over and over again, privately said sorry to God, and then fallen again. Confession makes everything more concrete.

And to actually overcome these sins is to experience real freedom. These sins are not annoying little acts that arbitrarily cause us to go to hell if we die in guilt for them; rather, sin on earth is the beginning of hell itself.

In The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis, a character explains to the narrator that the souls in heaven will say they have always been in heaven (even on earth), and the souls in hell will say they have always been in hell (even on earth), and both will speak truly.

Sorry if this is too abstract to help or make sense. But my advice is this: don't let yourself think about the Sacraments in a legalistic way. It's not about the rules. These Sacraments are concrete ways in which Christ helps us, through the ministry of the Church, to participate in divine life and receive sanctifying grace. Sin is slavery, not a violation of some arbitrary law.

Beautifully put. Thank you.

[manualman]

Seemingly simple questions sometimes have complex answers. For example, is it harder to get to the top of a 150 foot tall rock or a 7,000 foot mountain peak? Well, if the former has to be done via finger and toe holds and the latter can be reached via helicopter, the answer isn't intuitive!

In short, to whom much has been given, much will be expected. Catholics DO have access to abundant grace via the sacraments. Much like the helicopter, that should enable us to reach great places. But when it comes to evaluating individuals other than ourselves, just remember that they are in the hands of the INVENTOR of Mercy. It's His job to judge, not ours.

[meltzerboy]

Originally Posted by on fire

i will paraphrase this...to those who have been given much,much will be expected...as Catholics we have been given the fullness of truth,with access to all 7 sacrements to help us on our journey.we have a higher sense of culpability(sic?) that goes with it....but the graces that give us the strength to accomplish it if we truly apply ourselves....peace be with you in your journey....

I can't answer the OP question from the Catholic perspective. However, what you say in this post, Jews feel in reverse. That is, since we have been given the responsibility of practicing so many Torah commandments, more is expected of us than of non-Jews. We believe Christians can "waltz into Heaven" (as the OP puts it) by following the basic Noahide Law of seven commandments, whereas Jews must do more. At the same time, as in Catholicism, we are given grace for our effort and intentions despite falling short of perfection.

[StrawberryJam]

Originally Posted by LeahInancsi

Please don't take my question the wrong way and excuse my brevity.

Since many other Christian religions do not have to formally confess their sins, is it easier from them to say a short "Please forgive me God" prayer and be on their way as opposed to Catholics who have to make a formal confession to a priest?

What if I get hit by a truck at a time when I'm in a state of mortal sin and I haven't had been to confession. If I were a Baptist, Methodist, etc., could I ask God for forgiveness through prayer immediately after the sin, but before I was hit by the truck and waltz into Heaven sinless?

I read your mother died recently. If she is like most mothers, she's bugging God everyday/minute making a case for you. Why worry when you have that type of defense? I think the hebrew scriptures even mention a persistant woman who kept bugging a judge and ultimately got her way because she was so annoyingly persistant. A catholic may also consider Mary as another mother doing the same thing. So, with two of them bugging God constantly, I'm thinking he would rather not be bugged like that for long.

[dharmasister]

Originally Posted by on fire

to those who have been given much, much will be expected

As Catholics we are held to a higher standard because we know and understand what is expected. But although the bar is higher, we have soooo many beautiful sacraments to help us. Each of the sacraments pours out such amazing graces to each of us that we have so much more help in getting to the promised land than any non-Catholic. And our number one help for the journey - the most Blessed Eucharist! Our "Soul" Food!!! Just as the manna in the desert sustained God's people, so too does Our Daily Bread!

Yes, we do have to do more to get into heaven, but God makes sure we're well equipped!

[gmcbroom]

I would say it is probably harder for non practicing catholics to get to heaven. However, If your devout and repentant in your faith whether your catholic, orthodox, or any of the reformation churches chances are you'll do alright. I may be mistaken but I believe the key is to have a living faith; not just go to church, but actually live your life using what you learned and prayer. After all, if you believed in the Gospel you'd do your best to avoid a way of sin.

Peace be with you

[LeahInancsi]

I greatly appreciate the encouragement and kind words.

Just to stir the pot a little more. My maternal grandmother was raised in the Catholic church, but left to marry my grandfather because he wouldn't convert. He refused to convert because my grandmother's brothers were so hateful to him because he was Protestant. Otherwise, he probably would have converted because he didn't have a problem with Catholicism.

I became Catholic because of my grandmother. I knew that she learned her goodness from her childhood in the Catholic church. The only thing that changed in her life after she married is that so no longer attended Mass. She even fed her family fish every Friday. I can't believe this wonderful woman would be condemned to hell. It's just not possilbe.

I love God and have complete faith in Him because without Him I could not have survived this long after my mother's death.

[StrawberryJam]

Originally Posted by LeahInancsi

I greatly appreciate the encouragement and kind words.

Just to stir the pot a little more. My maternal grandmother was raised in the Catholic church, but left to marry my grandfather because he wouldn't convert. He refused to convert because my grandmother's brothers were so hateful to him because he was Protestant. Otherwise, he probably would have converted because he didn't have a problem with Catholicism.

I became Catholic because of my grandmother. I knew that she learned her goodness from her childhood in the Catholic church. The only thing that changed in her life after she married is that so no longer attended Mass. She even fed her family fish every Friday. I can't believe this wonderful woman would be condemned to hell. It's just not possilbe.

I love God and have complete faith in Him because without Him I could not have survived this long after my mother's death.

Who told you she was condemed to hell? That's not catholic theology by the way.

[LeahInancsi]

Originally Posted by StrawberryJam

Who told you she was condemed to hell? That's not catholic theology by the way.

There are several threads currently floating around on CAF which have more or less said that. If I not mistaken, Thistle implied it a thread I read this afternoon.

I just got home from work and I cried all the way home. I'm so confused.