Recently I have been troubled by a number of assertions concerning the Christian's motivation to love and serve the Lord, simply as a path to avoid fiery torment where the worm does not die. Once Christianity is reduced to mere ethical imperatives, all force and coherence have been lost. It becomes one system of morality amongst many -less strenuous - forms that fails to offer the human person anything other than the vague hope of security and happiness beyond present experience.
We must recognise that our obedience to the commandments of Christ, does not enslave man, binding him to a foreign and unbearable set of rules, but offers the hope that man become one with Christ in His Holy Church. Our allegiance to Him, Who loved us first, should never be seen as a threat to true human progress, but the actualisation of authentic personhood in Christ, the 'catholic man' of the Father. The outward adherence to the 'dictates' of the Church is not enough, as it is written, 'These people honour Me with their lips but theirs hearts are far from me', a fundamental change - a metanoia - must occur in the depths of the human existence and relationality. With the Incarnate Logos, baptised into His Death, man encounters the marvellous nature of communion with the Blessed Trinity, the Source and Spring of all Life and Goodness. What is offered is not simply a way out of Hell, as our rather negative term 'salvation' implies, but the opportunity by the divine grace and the Precious Blood of communing with God in love, whereby one finds the fulfillment of all desire.
We must rid ourselves of the notion of Heaven as a place of rolling green hills, cloud-like sheep, white cottages and country gardens, where the sun sheds pleasant rays in the morning. Such a concept of Heaven is frankly ridiculous and will fail to impel man to come to Christ and His Church. Man, by the Spirit Who constitutes this Holy Assembly, becomes animated by love, which is his true fundamental orientation, and is made open towards the God Who created all out of love, and to his fellow man who is no longer seen as a threat by the 'other' in union. By this blessed state, man comes to know in some manner the depths of the love of God which passes all understanding and rejoices in a way that the world cannot give. The reward of love in this life in Love Himself. It is erroneous to say that God 'loves' man for the sake of Heaven (or to circumvent the burning sulphur), when it is God Who is Heaven. To Him be glory and praise in His Holy Church now and forever. Amen
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