/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

Ill give a fairly light answer to this question, the lightest I can possibly understand it to be. Look at the world around you, its fallen, depraved nature. We are obsessed with money, sex, power, and pride. At the very least, those of us who stand up and strive toward Christ every day, rejecting these vices with a true heart are *very* few in the grand scale of humanity. This is not something to be proud of, but a problem that can only be fixed by us, through the grace of God.

So when Christ says "few," this appears to be the minimum in my analysis. Beyond this, I'm uncomfortable to answer. There's a sliding scale of beliefs here, compare Orthodox to Universalists for example. Is the core requirement communion with Rome? I don't know for sure, but I am not willing to take that risk.

>How few is few?

Jesus loved us and died for us. And what do we do? Well, you can answer that. Personally, I strive to be as close to God as I can, yet I fail in numerous ways every single day. I feel Heaven would be lesser if people like me entered. God is so great and we are so imperfect that it's simply impossible for any of us to get into Heaven by our own merits. That's when God's grace comes into play, but who will receive His grace? None of us deserves it, that's for sure.

So, how few is few? No way to know, though I suspect it's extremely few. Just think of all the people you know and then think if any of them walks with God, is any of them is worthy of expending eternity with Him.

An archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his bishop and said to him, "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell."

Our chronicles relate an even more dreadful happening. One of our brothers, well-known for his doctrine and holiness, was preaching in Germany. He represented the ugliness of the sin of impurity so forceful that a woman fell dead of sorrow in front of everyone. Then, coming back to life, she said, "When I was presented before the Tribunal of God, sixty thousand people arrived at the same time from all parts of the world; out of that number, three were saved by going to Purgatory, and all the rest were damned."

O abyss of the judgments of God! Out of thirty thousand, only five were saved! And out of sixty thousand, only three went to heaven! You sinners who are listening to me, in what category will you be numbered?… What do you say?… What do you think?…

Sermon by St. Leon of Maurice

https://www.olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml

How few is few?

Well if we look at the old testament and the Jews who were in the desert for 40 years to go into the promised Land (a typeology of heaven) out of the thousands of Jews, only 2 of the original group made it (Josue and Caleb). Even Moses didn't make it to the promised Land. The whole story of Exodus is God rescuing people from Sin (Egypt) to lead them to Heaven (promised Land).

>>820936

nice post, thank you for this. i don't know why i've never heard about this before because its seems really important.

>>820936

These numbers are cause for absolute dispair imo and almost make me wanna throw in the towel (not literally, because I know I haven't got anything better to do than try to serve God as best I can)

>>821165

>These numbers are cause for absolute dispair imo

why? remember that when 33,000 people die in an hour, they're are going to be spread all around the globe, meaning that the majority of them aren't from christian nations at all. then take into account that not all of the people from christian nations are even catholic, and that out of the people who are actually catholic, most of them are only so in name and don't even go to mass every sunday. idk if someone wants to do the math, but at this point we're talking about a tiny minority compared to the entire world population. and thats just the bare minimum to even be considered a practicing catholic we're talking about. even out of the people who go to mass every sunday and confession maybe a couple times a year, how many do you think are actually following all of the commandments? how many of these people are fornicators? at least today i would say most of them just based on the fact that its so rare to see actual big families at mass. also i think i read somewhere that literally 99% of married catholic women use birth control. its really not that hard to be in the very top spiritual percentile, the reason most people aren't is just purely out of lack of trying.

>>820914

>Is the core requirement communion with Rome? I don't know for sure, but I am not willing to take that risk.

How do you know it's not communion with the Orthodox? Why are you willing to take that risk?

>>821168

As long as you follow the apostolic faith, I can't imagine God denying you entrance into the kingdom of heaven