God A Perfectionist

[tinytherese]

I know that this isn't true, but I can't stop picturing him lately as like the Matchmaker from Mulan taking points off for everything that we do wrong.

Matchmaker: Fa Mulan.

Mulan: Present.

Matchmaker: (Writes down,) "Speaking without permission."

Mulan: Oops.

Grandma: Who spit in her beancurd?


I've been struggling with scrupulosity. Reading "Understanding Scrululosity" by Thomas M. Santa has been helpful. I have this fear that when I die, that I'll go to Hell for not being good enough for the Lord.

I know that there's Purgatory, but part of me feels resentful about such a place. "Sheesh, what more do you want? After all that I've done for you and doing my best still isn't enough! I wonder how anyone other than The Immaculate Conception gets in to Heaven! How is it possible to be holy?"

I know that we can't become holy on our own. That would be the heresy of Pelagianism. We need the Lord to become holy. I haven't been able to shake my view of God being demanding too much though.

[PhuturePriest]

I know that this isn't true, but I can't stop picturing him lately as like the Matchmaker from Mulan taking points off for everything that we do wrong.

Matchmaker: Fa Mulan.

Mulan: Present.

Matchmaker: (Writes down,) "Speaking without permission."

Mulan: Oops.

Grandma: Who spit in her beancurd?


I've been struggling with scrupulosity. Reading "Understanding Scrululosity" by Thomas M. Santa has been helpful. I have this fear that when I die, that I'll go to Hell for not being good enough for the Lord.

I know that there's Purgatory, but part of me feels resentful about such a place. "Sheesh, what more do you want? After all that I've done for you and doing my best still isn't enough! I wonder how anyone other than The Immaculate Conception gets in to Heaven! How is it possible to be holy?"

I know that we can't become holy on our own. That would be the heresy of Pelagianism. We need the Lord to become holy. I haven't been able to shake my view of God being demanding too much though.

 

Important to remember: Purgatory isn't for those who aren't bad enough for hell but aren't good enough for heaven; rather, it is for those good enough for heaven, but need to atone for their sins and get their souls cleansed. We are forgiven of our sins in confession, but the recompense due our sins still needs to be paid, and this is why we have purgatory.

 

This is of course assuming you haven't had your purgation on earth, either by excruciating suffering (For instance, the Good Thief), or martyrdom.

[Guest]

If you're in a state of grace you're the righteousness of God. Let the devil keep track of all your past mistakes. God remembers them no more.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Guest

[little2add]

If God were a perfectionist
Mankind would have been done away with a long time ago

[BarbTherese]

"Fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 110)

"The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence" (Proverbs Ch4)

 

One begins to realise something of the huge distance between God and oneself - to realise His Holiness and our poverty, our sinfulness .......... then the Fear of The Lord begins its journey and very often it is a journey rather than an 'overnight event'.  At the beginning of the journey it can create a sort of scrupulousness but as it progresses (and spiritual direction may be needed), Fear of The Lord comes to understand that The Great Holiness of The Lord includes overwhelming Love, Compassion, Understanding and Mercy for all His creatures.........and then one is arriving at that Fear of The Lord that is one of the 7 Gifts of The Holy Spirit at Confirmation.  Fear of The Lord is not fear of punishment at this point though one does realise in a new way the absolute ability and absolute right of God to punish and even severely, but rather an overwhelming humbleness and a notion and awareness of something of the Overwhelming Holiness and Greatness, The Glory of God, before which one trembles, as indeed the angels tremble.  One does develop a quite sensitive conscience and rightly so.

 

Mature spiritually Fear of The Lord realises with a certain clarity that one can never ever be good enough for God and for His Heaven, but it is the Love, Compassion, Understanding and Mercy of God alone that can and will open Heaven's doors.  Only God Himself can bridge the infinite abyss between God and man - and He does with Love and with Mercy and all these qualities entail.  God does not want man to be saved, He ardently desires it and so much so that He sent His Only Son to share in our humanity and to assure that our salvation is effected.

 

In Purgatory we will realise that we are headed for Heaven.  Also, I am never personally afraid to bring my angers and resentments to God - He is our Loving Father.........and after all, He knows what we are thinking even before we think it!  I sort of feel: 'fess up and share it with Him prayerfully or consciously speaking to Him.  And I do.

 

I am quite confident personally that you will need sound spiritual direction to overcome your fear and to move on in your journey of Fear of The Lord.  Sound spiritual direction most often and assuredly takes place in face to face appointments with a spiritual director - but it can occur sometimes in other ways - through good books and reading, through a good homily..........through anything at all.  The Holy Spirit can not be and will not be contained and especially by human beings making rules for Him.

 

God is a Perfectionist - so Perfect in His Love and Mercy, He will readily forgive and embrace the very worst in humanity.  So Perfect in His Love and Mercy He sent His Only Son to prove just how Perfect His Love and Mercy really is.

Edited February 9, 2015 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

It is indeed the beginning of Wisdom when one realises that one cannot effect anything good and holy whatsoever, even to the most minute degree, without The Lord and His Grace.  It is the beginning of Wisdom when one realises that anything good in our world at all has come about through The Lord and His Grace as the origin and ideally as the end as well.  "I am The Alpha(beginning) and The Omega (end), the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Book of Revelations Chapter 1).

 

What does it mean to make God the end of all our good - it means to strive ardently that all that we do, think and say is for the Praise and Glory of God.