While Pat Buchanan, Fox News and Glenn Beck are shamelessly trying to finally whip up that great race war that we have been hearing about for several decades now (video at Raw Story), and Dubya is preparing to be left behind, we still have time to contemplate just where we are going.
Who besides me missed this when it happened? The wise Pope said that Heaven and Hell don't really exist as places. Not Pope Ratzy, of course. He may actually be presiding over Hell even as we speak.
Heaven as the fullness of communion with God was the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis at the General Audience of 21 July 1999. Heaven "is neither an abstraction not a physical place in the clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit," the Pope said.[...]
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 28 July 1999, the Holy Father reflected on hell as the definitive rejection of God. In his catechesis, the Pope said that care should be taken to interpret correctly the images of hell in Sacred Scripture, and explained that "hell is the ultimate consequence of sin itself... Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy".
[...]
At the General Audience of Wednesday, 4 August 1999, following his catecheses on heaven and hell, the Holy Father reflected on Purgatory. He explained that physical integrity is necessary to enter into perfect communion with God therefore "the term purgatory does not indicate a place, but a condition of existence", where Christ "removes ... the remnants of imperfection".
....but hey, fellow handbasket passengers, do what you want....you will anyway.
can you imagine what it was like to listen to glenn beck every single day for hours???? my ears bled!
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