Forget "Life is short...better enjoy it!" Instead, "Eternity is long, better prepare for it!"

We often hear, "Life is short...better enjoy it!" How about "Eternity is long, better prepare for it!"

"For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" Mark 8:36 

This life is not paradise. It is a preparation for paradise. How we choose to live it will determine how we spend eternity - in heaven or hell. This is so important! 

Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell these are the Four Last Things toward which we are moving each hour of the day and night.

Learning the Catholic view of the end times is so important. Losing our salvation is not that difficult. If we die with one mortal sin on our soul from which we have not repented, we are hell-bound. All it takes is one. That is the negative part of the truth. The positive part is that we will not all be the same in heaven. Each one of us will enjoy different degrees of God's glory according the degree in which we have grown in grace and merit in this life. Everything that happens to us is meant to foster this growth. The saints show us what a difference knowing the Catholic perspective can make in our lives. It was so important and life-changing to them that they ordered everything in their lives around this understanding and because of that they were able to reach their full potential in Christ. That is why you will see images of them with a skull in the picture. Why do you think that is?

I’ll give you a hint…

The skeletons of thousands of Capuchin friars adorn the walls of the crypt of Our Lady of the Conception Church in Rome. Among them, an inscription reads: “What you are now, we once were; what we are now, you shall be.”

Skulls and skeletons were a great reminder to them, and are to us, that, as Catholics, we see death as the most important moment we will ever experience; the moment we should be intentionally preparing for every day of our lives – with every decision we make; every step that we take. 

This is because the Catholic understanding of death is that it is:

1. The separation of man's mortal body and immortal soul. This separation is only a temporary state however, for we are created by God as a human person – composed of a body and a soul - and at the end of the world, all men shall rise again, and their immortal souls will be reunited with their resurrected bodies for all eternity.

2. The end of earthly life. That might sound obvious but what that means is – the end of our earthly pilgrimage; the end of the chance to live by faith and to grow in grace and merit, to reach our full potential in Christ, the end of the time of mercy for us, etc. (see CCC 1010, 1013 and 1007)

There is something that God wants to bring to fulfillment through the course of our life. WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN A HOLDING PATTERN. We are meant to GROW in grace every day of our lives. NOW is the time to grow in grace. 

Here are 14 action steps to grow in grace and prepare for eternity. They will help us to "store up treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:19-21) instead of building bigger barns to store our earthly goods (Luke 12:16-21). Numbers 1-5 are the foundation for 6-14. The sacraments and prayer are the foundation for us to be able to turn away from sin and lead a virtuous life:

1. Make sure that you are in the State of Grace. To be saved we must be in the state of grace when we die. 
2. Frequent reception of the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. For the Eucharist, the bare minimum is once a week on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation. Saints and spiritual directors suggest monthly confession.
3. Daily mental prayer ending with a resolution.
4. Begin your prayer time (#3) with a Morning Offering so that your whole day is offered to God ahead of time. Then, as you go about your day, try to remember this so you do your best to complete each action with love and your whole heart. This way everything you do is elevated to the supernatural level. 
5. Nightly examination of conscience so that sin cannot operate freely and gain a greater hold on us.
6. Study the Catholic Faith.  Read the Bible, the lives of the saints, and/or good Catholic books; take a bible study ar your parish or online. 
7. Bear the difficulties of life with patience and trust and offer them as a prayer of intercession for others (offer it up!).
8. The regular practice of penance (fasting, almsgiving, acts of service, etc.) to make amends for your sins and to grow in love and virtue.
9. Fidelity to my state in life (spouse, family, job, parish, community, etc.). Do your everyday actions with diligence and love, with the intention to please God and serve others. All of these actions performed this way will bear fruit a hundredfold; but performed negligently, will not even render tenfold.
10. Put these great intentions into even our slightest actions and they will multiply our merits by the hundreds.
11. Beg the Lord to help you forgive anyone who has hurt you and, when possible, reconcile with them. There will be no grudges or division in heaven.
12. I.S.O. Jesus: Beg the Lord for the gift of humility and fight against judgemental thoughts about others. Don't indulge in an "evil outlook." Instead, ask for the grace to focus on where God is in each situation and praise and thank him for that; don't focus on where he is not present that you thnk he should be.  Pray for the difficult situation but then move on and focus on where actually he is.  Search for him like a fine pearl. He is there somewhere. 
13. Try to understand and gain indulgences every day especially for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This is a great way to grow in love for others and prepare yourself for heaven.
14. Serve others as often as possible by practicing the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.  

This is a lot to attempt all at once. Start with number one and then work on each additional step one by one. If we try to live this way, we will be storing up treasures in heaven and better prepared for eternal life!

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