God made man and woman, and man and woman screwed everything up. So, eventually, God gave up the comforts of heaven and most of the perks of being God to become a man on earth and show us how to do it right. Instead of thanking Him for the tutoring, we ridiculed, tortured, and murdered Him.
Lucky for us, a few guys took notes while Jesus was here. And they published them.
As it turns out, “doing it right” means giving up many of the comforts and perks of being human to go live with God in heaven. Sort of a tit-for-tat. **God became man so man might become like God. **
Seems like a no-brainer, right? Give up casual sex and selfishness for an eternity of unimaginable bliss?
But it’s not easy. At least, not at first.
We’ve gotten really used to being a human. And the human race has gotten really good at being human. We’ve clawed our way to the top of the food chain, after all.
Sure, we have our problems. What species doesn’t? We also have airplanes and computers like the one you’re reading this on. Not to mention reality TV. Look at all we’ve invented and the diseases we’ve conquered just since Jesus was born! And the Kardashians!
Give up this? Now? Before my time?
It isn’t easy. But each day it gets a little easier. Praying helps. Sitting silently helps. Staring at a crucifix helps. Talking to people helps.
Mostly, remembering “I’m going to die” is a great motivator. I carry a challenge coin that reads Memento Mori every day. It means “remember death.” It’s a Stoic thing.
Thinking about death motivated me to study God’s great book, the Bible (which should have been called How to Get to Heaven (or your money back). Reading the Bible and lots of commentary about it, I’ve learned that if getting to heaven is my goal, I’ve been doing it all wrong.
Politics wasn’t getting me closer to heaven. Not me or anybody else. So that’s why I am shifting my focus from politics to faith. Because I am free to do that. And because I can’t control other people.
America could quickly descend into anarchy or totalitarianism. Or, more likely, it won’t. I’m not sure God really cares either way. The Roman Empire was certainly totalitarian. All of the Apostles except John were martyred. Yet, God chose the Roman Empire as the time and place to become man and start His church.
[If you want to see where America is going, look at where England is now.]
In other words, He gave up the cushy existence of being God in heaven (which President Trump would describe as “the greatest property in the universe”) to land in the one time and place where He was almost guaranteed to be tortured to death.
And He was tortured to death.
And He accepted death by torture so we could follow Him. Follow Him through the cross to heaven.
**He gave up His world for ours, that we might give up ours for His. **
That’s why I’m detaching from politics and attaching to something bigger. Politics just isn’t very interesting compared to an eternity in paradise.
If you’d like to join me, consider enrolling in St. Paul Street Evangelization’s basic course. It’s just $15 a month (donation), and they’ll help you out if $15 a month is too steep.
If you’re not ready for the Catholic evangelization thing but you’d like to take the journey with me, email me on the contact form in the top navigation.
Having a friend or two involved will definitely make it easier for me. Besides, happiness loves company.
P.S. If you know Catholic apologetics really well and you think I made any errors, please forgive me. And educate me. I am not a theologian or a bishop.
images: [“St. Paul."]