Month: January 2023

Here is a list of the virtues and corresponding vices copied from Father Ripperger’s talk, found here (beginning at 9:20). Support this great priest!

The 4 Infused Virtues – Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance
The 3 Theological Virtues – Faith, Hope and Charity

Why grow in virtue? Because it makes you good and inclines you to good action:
“St. Thomas says virtue does two things to a person: it makes the haver of the virtue good, in other words, it perfects him. Various faculties of his soul are perfected. They’re rightly ordered. They’re directed towards the ends which they’re supposed to be. So it makes you actually good. And then he says it inclines towards good action. So the person who is virtuous is the person who’s just inclined to do the right thing at the right moment and that actually makes him good.”

All words below are Father Ripperger’s:

Infused Virtues

“There are 3 kinds of infused virtues. The first are the moral infused virtues and that’s what we’ll spend most of the time on tonight. And then there are the theological. There’s also another infused kind of habit it’s called the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The theological of course are faith, hope, and charity.

They’re infused, so if you remember, when you’re in the state of grace and you’re trying to advance in holiness, but when you’re in the state of grace God infuses in you all of the infused virtues, all of them. Here’s a list:

Moral Infused Virtues

Prudence

Integral parts of Prudence (knowing the means to attain the end)

1. Memory (memoria): the virtue by which one remembers the right things pertaining to the action and its circumstances

2. Understanding (intellectus): the ability to grasp practical principles and the nature of various situations

3. Docility (docilitas): ability to be lead and take counsel from others

4. Shrewdness (solertia): quickness in arriving at the means to the end

5. Reason (ratio): ability to reason about practical matters; the ability to apply universal practical principles to particular situations

6. Foresight (providential): ability to see future outcomes of actions based upon past experience

7. Circumspection (circumspectio): virtue by which one keeps track of one’s circumstances

8. Caution (cautio): application of knowledge of the past to action in order to avoid impediments and evils

Potential parts of Prudence

1. Good Counsel (eubulia): the habit of taking good counsel

2. Synesis: the ability to know what to do when the common law applies

3. Gnome: the ability to know what to do when the common law does not apply

Vices contrary to Prudence

1. Precipitation: the vice in which one does not take counsel (results in acting too quickly)

2. Inconsideration: the vice in which one does not judge which means is the best among the various means arrived at during counsel

3. Inconsistancy: a vice in which one does not command or do the action which has been counseled and judged as the best

4. Negligence: failure to take counsel or a failure to do what one should when he ought

5. Carnal prudence: the vice in which one applies one’s reason to arrive at means to attain created goods which are seen as one’s final end

6. Craftiness (asturtia): industry in not using the right or true means to an end

7. Guile (dolus): the habit of deceit (usually in words)

8. Fraud (fraus): the habit of deceit (usually in deeds)

Justice (render another his due)

1. Commutative: justice between individuals

2. Legal: justice of the individual to the common good

3. Distributive: justice of those in charge of the common good to the individual

4. Restitution: the habit by which one pays back what one owes

5. Religion: the virtue by which we render to God what is due to Him

6. Devotion: the habit by which one has a prompt will to do those things pertaining to the service of God

7. Prayer: the act (also a virtue) of lifting one’s mind and heart to God

8. Adoration: the act (also a virtue) by which one exhibits due reverence to God

9. Sacrifice: an act (also a virtue) by which one offers to God some good in the form of oblation

10. Vow: binding oneself by means of a promise to doing something (usually in relation to the service of God)

11. Adjuration: the swearing or taking of an oath, such as in a court of law

12. Piety: the virtue by which one renders to one’s parends due honor and reverence

13. Observances: making acts of religion

14. Dulia: giving due honor to one’s superiors

15. Obedience: promptness of will to do the will of one’s superior

16. Gratitude or Thankfulness: appreciation (normally expressed) to a benefactor for some gift given

17. Just vindication: the havit by which one puts an end to the harm caused by others

18. Truthfulness (in english: honesty): the habit of telling the truth

19. Friendship or affability: the virtue by which one is able to be befriended

20. Liberality: the use of one’s surplus means to aid the poor

21. Epieikeia: the virtue by which one knows the mind of the legislator

Vices against Justice

1. Acceptation of person (human respect): excessive deference paid to someone

2. Murder: unjust killing of the innocent

3. Mutilation: physical harm or changes made to one’s body aside from the order of nature

4. Theft: occult taking of that which belongs to another

5. Robbery: non-occult (usually violent) taking of that which belongs to another

6. Judgement: judging him over whom one does not have authority or

7. False accusation: accusing somebody of something that is false

8. Perjury: lying under oath

9. Contumely: attach on a person’s reputation (usually done in their presence – normally it is the saying of something false to destroy someone’s reputation)

10. Detraction: saying something true in order to destroy someone’s reputation

11. Murmuring: occult detraction in order to separate the affections of one person from another

12. Derision: laughing at another in order to lower him in the estimation of others

13. Malediction (cursing): calling down condemnation on something or someone

14. Usury: the taking of (excessive) interest on a loan

15. Illicit adjuration: swearing an oath outside his due circumstances

16. Superstition: the rendering of some honor or some practice to a creature which is due only to God

17. Idolatry: worshiping some created thing as God

18. Divination (and witchcraft): the use of the demonic in order to achieve something, such as knowledge of the future, hidden knowledge, to gain power over something, etc.

19. Tempting God

20. Sacrilege: ill use or abuse of something sacred

21. Simony: the purchasing or selling of something sacred

22. Disobedience: a lack of promptness to do the will of one’s superiors

23. Vengefulness: inordinate desire for vindication (inordinate desire to cause harm to another in order to put an end to the harm he is causing)

24. Lying: saying the false in order to deceive

25. Simulation, sometimes called hypocrisy: doing the false in order to deceive

26. Boasting: the drawing of attention to or the exaggeration of one’s perfections

27. Ingratitude: lack of appreciation for the benefit granted by a benefactor

28. Irony: the lowering of oneself below one’s state usually in speech.

29. Adulation: the use of speech whereby one flatters another

30. Litigious: excessive desire or practice of taking someone to court

31. Avarice: excessive desire to make and hold onto money or wealth

32. Prodigality or wastefulness: lack of sufficient desire to hold onto one’s money or the excessive use of something outside what is necessary.

Fortitude (the Willingness to engage the arduous)

1. Magnanimity: the virtue by which one seeks excellence in all things but especially great things

2. Magnificence: the virtue by which one uses his wealth to do great things

3. Patience: the ability to suffer evils

4. Perseverance: the virtue by which one persists in the arduous good until the end is achieved

5. Longanimity: longness of soul; the ability to await the good

Vice contra Fortitude

1. fear: the vice in which one has an unmoderated passion arising from the perception of future evil

2. fearlessness: lack of moderated fear

3. audacity: excessive aggressiveness toward imminent danger without reasonable fear

4. presumption: thinking one can attain some end which is beyond him without aid, usually from God

5. ambition: striving for honor above one’s excellence

6. inane glory: seeking honor in those things unworthy of honor

7. pusillanimity: smallness of soul; the habit of not striving for excellence

8. parvificience or stinginess: unwillingness to use one’s wealth to do great things

9. mollities or softness (effeminacy): an unwillingness to put aside pleasure in order to engage the arduous

10. pertinacity: excessive clinging to one’s assertions or intellectual convictions

Temperance (the virtue which moderates the pleasures of touch)

1. Shame: fear of being percieved as lowly

2. Honestia: the habit of always seeking to do what is virtuous in each situation (may also be called integrity)

3. Abstinence: refraining from the eating of certain kinds of food

4. Fasting: refraining from eating good in general

5. Sobriety: the virtue by which one has moderated use of alcohol

6. Chastity: the virtue which moderates the pleasures of touch in relation to those matters pertaining to the 6^th Commandment

7. Virginity: the habit of mind or soul which always refrains from taking delight, even interiorly, from pleasures associated with the 6^th Commandment

8. Continence: a virtue of the will by which one remains steadfast despite the tumult of the appetites (usually in relation to matters pertaining to the 6^th Commandment

9. Clemency or meekness: moderation of the delight of vindication (of anger)

10. Modesty Proper: the virtue in which one’s externals do not draw others into sins against the 6^th and 9^th Commandment

11. Humility: willingness to live in accordance with the truth; refraint of the irascible appetite from striving for excellence beyond one’s state; not judging oneself greater than he is

12. Eutrapelia: the virtue of right recreation

13. Decorum: the virtue in which one’s externals suits person and circumstances

14. Silence: the virtue by which one does not speak unless necessary; also the virtue in which one seeks to have interior quiet of the appetites

15. Studiosity: the virtue in which one pursues knowledge according to one’s state in life

16. Simplicity: the virtue in which one moderates one externals as to quantity (having neither more than is necessary nor less)

Vices against Temperance

1. Gluttony: eating to excess

2. Drunkenness: drinking alcohol to excess

3. Lust: illicity desire for the pleasures pertaining to the 6^th Commandment

4. Fornication: conjugal relations by the unmarried

5. Mutual acts outside the marriage state: foreplay by those outside of marriage

6. Rape: conjugal relations outside of marriage under the duress of violence

7. Adultery: conjugal relations between two people, of which at least one is married to someone else

8. Incest: conjugal relations between blood relatives

9. Incontinence: lack of steadfastness because of the tumult of the appetites

10. Anger: a vice in which one does not moderate the passion of anger; an inordinate desire for vindication arising from unmoderated sorrow at some offense

11. Cruelty: unmoderated vindication with respect to external actions

12. Pride: unwillingness to live in accordance with the truth; excessive striving for excellence beyond one’s state; judging oneself greater than he is

13. Curiosity: inordinate desire for useless or profane knowledge

14. Crudity: lack of etiquette or manners

15. Immodesty: lack of moderation regarding one’s externals

Theological Virtues

Faith (the virtue by which one gives assent to the deposit of faith)

Vices against faith

1. Infidelity: lack of belief in the deposit of faith

2. Heresy: lack of belief in one or more of the doctrines of faith

3. Apostasy: rejection of the faith entirely by someone already baptized

4. Blasphemy: denigration of something sacred by means of speech

Hope (the virtue by which one awaits beatitude and has confidence in God’s aid

Vices against hope

1. desperation: lack of confidence in God’s ability to save someone or to aid him

2. presumption: excessive confidence in one’s own capacities beyond one’s abilities to achieve some end

Charity (the virtue by which one loves God and one’s neighbor for the sake of God)

Vices contrary to charity

1. Hatred of God

2. Sloth: unwillingness to engage the arduous in order to achieve some excellence

3. Envy: desire to have something possessed by another in such a manner that the other no longer possesses it

4. Discord: the vice in which one knowingly and intentionally dissents from the divine good and good of his neighbor (a vice in which one does not seek union of wills)

5. Contention: the habit of contrariety in speech

6. Schism: lack of submission to the authority of the Church, especially the pope and bishops

7. Unjust war: the waging of battle without due cause

8. Quarreling (rixa): contrariety in deeds (private warring, sometimes called fueding)

9. Scandal: the drawing of another into sin or the placing of an impediment of the assent of faith on behalf of another

I was talking with a friend the other day and I mentioned that work and family are a lot to keep up with. You get done with work and you’re tired, but the kids are done with school and they are ready to play. Your wife has been dealing with the kids, she’s tired and wants a break.
I asked him, “How’d you do it, David?”

He said, “You know what you need? A charcoal grill.
When you get home after a day of work, you want to relax, but you want to be there for your family.
Get you some charcoal, load up the grill. Then what do you do? Gotta light it and wait. You can drink a couple of beers.
The wife will be happy for you because you’re cooking dinner.
The kids will be running around outside, you can keep an eye on them. They will each come over at different times to see what you are doing and talk. You can ask them about school, what they’re working on, how their day went.
You get to relax without having the kids climbing on you. The wife is happy…the kids are outside playing. Dinner’s cooking.
That’s what you need Rob…a charcoal grill.”

This is a great talk from Sensus Fidelium on youtube called Abandonment to Divine Providence. Stress, worry and anxiety are chronic in modern america, and they are all self imposed, many times because we want to impose our will upon our lives rather than submit to the will of God. Read the full transcript of the talk below (all bold is mine).

Here are some choice quotes:

A soul abandoned to Providence will consider everything else as good, for it is God’s will that it is so. Thus it is God’s will for me that I get this many green lights and this many red lights. And so the soul conformed to Divine Providence will always be at peace for it always has just what it needs and everything it desires.

On living in the moment: “God desires this matter of me, what more is necessary? While I do this I am not obliged to do anything else.”

“He never impels anyone Beyond his strength nor Any Way Beyond his aptitude.”

Passive abandonment is to see all that befalls us as fulfilling God’s will for us. “Consider this will in regard to yourself,” writes Saint Francis de Sales, “in everything good or ill that happens or can happen to you except sin then approve, praise, and love it, protesting that you wish ever to honor, cherish, and adore this Sovereign will. Committing to it your person and all that belongs to you. Finally, conclude with great confidence in this holy will that it will do everything necessary for your good and happiness.”

For as soon as things happen not according to our expectations and anticipations a sudden desolation seizes upon our souls? Why is this unless because we are not resigned with indifference into the hands of God.

Abandonment is not then in never feeling sadness but rather in suffering it and in embracing it as we ought to embrace any and every cross which is given us by The Loving hand of God our Father. Finally, if you want a visual image we need but consider the child Jesus, as carried about by Mary, as a perfect example. Does He follow His own will or is He the God man Himself abandoned to the will of His mother carried about wherever she places to go? And if He can so abandon Himself to Mary’s will what have we to fear by abandoning ourselves to His?

Full Transcript:

Today we shall study the easy path to sanctity – abandonment to Divine Providence. Abandonment to God is the virtue of virtues says Saint Francis de Sales. How happy should we be if we faithfully practice this virtue? Undoubtedly we should arrive at the highest Perfection of a Saint Catherine of Sienna or of a Saint Francis and of many others. This is because abandonment to Divine Providence is nothing less than the Conformity of our will to the will of God. Saint Francis continues, “Oh if the holy will of God reigned in us how happy should we be? We should never commit any sin or live according to our irregular inclinations for that Holy will is the rule of all excellence and the sanctity.” Abandonment to Divine Providence is an easy path open to all – the very young and the Very Old, the intelligent and the simple. It is a path as open to religious as it is to every humble husband going to his job or weary mother attending the house. It is as accessible to the missionary who travels the whole world as it is to the sick man who cannot even leave his bed anymore without Aid. Abandonment to Divine Providence requires no education or physical ability. It needs no special spiritual lights or gifts. It is a path equally open to the innocent as it is to repentant sinners.

How then do we practice abandonment to Divine Providence? John Pierre Cossad has written a little book on this in which he says ,“If the work of our sanctification presents apparently the most insurmountable difficulties it is because we do not know how to form a just idea of it. In reality sanctity can be reduced to one single practice: Fidelity to the duties appointed by God. Now this Fidelity is equally within each one’s power whether in its active practice or its passive exercise. The active practice of fidelity consists in accomplishing the duties which devolve upon us whether imposed by the general laws of God and of the church or by the particular State we may have embraced. It’s passive exercise consists in the loving acceptance of all that God sends us at each moment. To pursue this abandonment actively then, we need only strive to do what God sets before us that is to follow the Commandments and to fulfill the duties of our state in life as Faithfully as we can.”

“Our Center is the will of God,” says Saint Francis de Sales. God wishes that I should do this action now, God desires this matter of me, what more is necessary? While I do this I am not obliged to do anything else. Sometimes the Great accomplishments of the Saints appear an intimidating standard set next to our own little lives but this is only so if we take it upon ourselves to determine that sanctity must consist in baptizing thousands and thousands or founding hundreds of schools. But again here is where we precisely need faith in God’s Providence. That God’s Providence includes those Saints who are great like Towering Oaks just as much as it includes the little violets who nestle in close to the ground taking their own little space doing just what God intends them to do. “Can there be anything more reasonable?” Jean-Pierre asks. “What excuse can be made that this is all that God requires of the soul for the work of its sanctification? It is true then that it requires on our part only simple and easy things since it is only necessary to employ this simple method to attain to an eminent degree of sanctity. If over and above the Commandments, He shows us the councils as a more perfect aim He always takes care to suit the practice of them to our position and character. He bestows on us as the principal sign of our vocation to follow them the attractions of Grace which make them easy. He never impels anyone Beyond his strength nor Any Way Beyond his aptitude.”

No less important is the passive part of Abandonment which Cossad says “consists in accepting that which we very often have no power to prevent and in suffering lovingly that is to say with sweetness and consolation those things that too often cause weariness and disgust.”

Now this is very easy in one sense that it requires no external action on our parts. But it does require great internal restraint as well as great faith. Passive abandonment is to see all that befalls us as fulfilling God’s will for us. “Consider this will in regard to yourself,” writes Saint Francis de Sales, “in everything good or ill that happens or can happen to you except sin then approve, praise, and love it, protesting that you wish ever to honor, cherish, and adore this Sovereign will. Committing to it your person and all that belongs to you. Finally, conclude with great confidence in this holy will that it will do everything necessary for your good and happiness.” This is easier said than done. For he continues: “We sometimes see persons who coming to the service of God say, ‘Lord, I commend my spirit into Thy hands but on condition that Thou Wilt always give me consolations without anything to contradict my will and will give me superiors in all respects according to my liking. Alas, what are you doing? Do you not see that this is not to resign your soul into the hands of God as our Lord did? Do you not know that this is only one of those reserves from which all our troubles, disquietudes and other imperfections usually arise? For as soon as things happen not according to our expectations and anticipations a sudden desolation seizes upon our souls? Why is this unless because we are not resigned with indifference into the hands of God. Is this not just what our Savior tells us today and is it not in following his commands that we are saved? How much of our time and energy is spent on useless anxiety? Yes, we must use our mind and our strengths to fulfill God’s will for us in things that we can change. In doing things as much as we are able and that is the key. As much as we can for God does not ask us to do the impossible. In fact, He forbids us to waste our energies pursuing it.

How often do people ring their hands about some evil politician or Churchman or something like that and weighs all that time examining evil pursuing its correction without being able to affect it one bit? When that energy could be spent examining the own evil in their own hearts. Or perhaps another example driving. So long as you do your part to go to a good place, to leave yourself the time you need to get there, to be courteous to other drivers while you are getting there, then what else matters? Spend a little energy you need to pursue that which is within your power and no more. A soul abandoned to Providence will consider everything else as good, for it is God’s will that it is so. Thus it is God’s will for me that I get this many green lights and this many red lights. And so the soul conformed to Divine Providence will always be at peace for it always has just what it needs and everything it desires. If the red light makes me upset why? Why does it trouble me? Because it contradicts my will. But it does not contradict God’s will. By worrying about it, can you make the light change any faster? Will it looked down upon you and see that you are in a hurry to get somewhere, unlike everyone else and take pity on you and change the green for your sake? Is this not then that simple Pride which presumes that all things should be conformed to my will and thus is angered or saddened when they are not. See the results: your soul is now disquieted. It is troubled by the red light. You are now more irritable, unpleasant to be around. You have wasted energy on what you cannot affect and then suffer the want of it in the things that you can affect. You lose your self-restraint. Snap at your family. Become gloomy and morose, all because you wasted effort resisting God’s will in this tiny little thing. John Pierre states, “If that which God himself chooses for you does not content you, from whom do you expect to obtain what you desire? Do you know better than God? As He ordains it thus, why do you desire it differently? Do imagine you will find peace in resisting the Almighty? Is it not on the contrary this resistance which we too often continue without owning it even to ourselves which is the cause of all our troubles?”

Now we should note though that in all this what matters is the Conformity of the higher part of the soul to the will of God. Any at all present evils and obstacles prompt in our lower nature displeasure, and produce these effects in the lower part of our soul but we do know wrong to will to get somewhere as quickly as we may and are therefore with some reason unhappy in the lower part of the soul if something impedes this Pursuit. Abandonment to Divine Providence does not mean that one must always feel peaceful, that he is never beset with irrational emotions or that he never feels anger or sadness rise up in Rebellion against him. Indeed it is actually part of Divine Providence that we must suffer these lower emotions within our soul as well. Suffer them without engaging them, without embracing them, meditating on them or acting on them. Sadness is a natural and thus good emotional response willed by God Himself when our soul meets with some present evil. And thus our good Lord and our Blessed Mother experience great sadness in the very depths of their souls. Abandonment is not then in never feeling sadness but rather in suffering it and in embracing it as we ought to embrace any and every cross which is given us by The Loving hand of God our Father. Finally, if you want a visual image we need but consider the child that Jesus, as carried about by Mary, as a perfect example. Does He follow His own will or is He the God man Himself abandoned to the will of His mother carried about wherever she places to go? And if He can so abandon Himself to Mary’s will what have we to fear by abandoning ourselves to His?

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Many would say that economic collapse is a horrific thing, and to be sure, much of it is. But there is a great streak of beauty within american economic collapse as well. Because people will get back to living how they’re supposed to live. More family, more friends, more community, more love. Rely on others…not the government. For this is how it has always been throughout history and how it should be. Sure it will be difficult. The threats come from many angles: biomedical war, toxic food war, food supply war, economic war…the list goes on. But this will create communities among people again, as they come together to try and overcome the threats and survive. Which is the story of human history. They will rely on one another. Rather than tear down they will build each other up.

During the economic collapse, the obvious absurdities of the false economy will fall away. So much destruction has come from that economic system, and there will be no pretending that any part of it was good. It will be shown to be the fraud that it is. It will be exposed.

Once the fraud is exposed, after long years, some new system will be created by the people. Some system that is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, freedom and sound money. It is only then, after this new system has been set up, will anything resembling a civilization grow. Anything that grows before will be but another bungling step in the wrong direction, much like destructive Keynesianism.

Seeing government economic totalitarian control go away and be replaced with a system which benefits more than just those in power? Seeing an economic system based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, freedom and sound money come to benefit all of the children of God?

This will be beautiful.

One of my sons recently finished reading Orwell’s 1984. I asked him what he thought about it. He said it was good, he liked it, but the ending was disappointing because the pigs just sat around smoking cigars and writing bad laws.

And thus we live out 1984 in modern america. The great pigs of state have grown unimaginably wealthy and powerful. They have destroyed america and her people so that they might acquire power…and now, having acquired it, of what benefit is it to them? So they can sit around, smoke cigars and write bad laws. They destroyed america for a life of ease…for their own selfish benefit. Not to help their brothers and sisters in Christ.

I tuned in to watch some of the Saints game on a recent Sunday and the final 2 minutes of the World Cup was on. France vs. Argentina. I had seen recently where Argentina had come under fire because the team had no people of African descent on it. I thought it was interesting that France had no one of European descent on it.

When I think of France I think of the great sailings ships of the past, Napoleon, wine, beautiful Paris, the Louvre, western civilization, Catholicism. But now when I think of France I guess it is proper to think of it as another African country. For good or bad I don’t know…but I do know that France had its own culture, its own history. I would think the French people would want to be proud of their history, and not annihilate it by bringing in other cultures which will replace the French culture.

It would be a shame if the Chinese took over Japan and annihilated the Japanese culture. Not because the Chinese culture is bad but because the Japanese culture is beautiful too, and one wouldn’t want to see it go away. But this is what is happening to France.

“Ce’ la vie” the French might say…such is life. Another civilization, gone with the wind.

In our age of modern art and the greyness of government totalitarian control, it is easy to forget how beautiful true beauty is. Just look at this painting.

Friedrich Nerly, 1879

I recently watched A Christmas Carol (1984 version) and was struck by the beauty of Marley’s words, when he came back to warn Scrooge of endlessly chasing wealth above all things:

″‘Business!’ cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. ‘Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!‘”

We are pulled incessantly towards wealth – work more, work harder, smarter, earn more money. But in the end, the purpose of life is to follow Jesus and become holy – to become a saint – and to help all those around you become saints so that you all may live with Christ in Heaven. That is the goal of life. Marley helps to make that all the more clear. He spent his life chasing wealth, attained it, became rich – and ignored the true purpose of life – helping our brothers and sisters in Christ become holy. His words are beautiful because they are so sad and perfect. We know he is right.

“‘I wear the chain I forged in life,’ replied the Ghost. ‘I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?‘”

“I girded it on of my own free will.” We have the free will to decide the direction of our lives – it is up to us. What we do with our will – our lives – will determine what happens to our soul when we die.

“No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused!”

Once you die, the Church teaches that you have no opportunity to change your judgment. You will be judged on how you lived. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven—through a purification or immediately—or immediate and everlasting damnation. (CCC 1022)”

Our Lady said to Saint Jacinta: “If men only knew what eternity is, they would do everything in their power to change their lives.”

Listen to Marley. Listen to Our Lady. We must live good now. This is our opportunity, this is our time. We must live good now.