Fr. Jose Poch

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Hell on Earth


A couple of weeks ago, I went to a Subway Store I normally frequent near my home. I have made friends with those behind the counter who prepare the sandwiches. They know me by name, and I know their name as well. Without me asking, they even know what sandwich I order and the ingredients I always request in the sandwich. They could prepare it blindfolded I think. They know that I am an Anglican priest, and this has given me an opportunity to speak to them about the Lord, although very briefly because it is a busy place. Occasionally, I have more of their time and get to talk to them more about their lives, their families, their hopes, their faith, etc.
On this one occasion, a couple of weeks ago, I engaged one of them in a faith conversation. She, a middle age lady, shared with me that her life was not going too well. She seemed to be struggling with her emotions even as we spoke. What I got from our conversation is that she is a single mother of two teenagers and did not mention a husband, which told me she was alone in that respect. I asked her if she attended church. She told me that she was Roman Catholic and that Roman Catholics don’t attend church, and she laughed. I know that is not true, but I understood what she was trying to tell me. I also laughed and told her that she should go to church and seek the Lord. She proceeded to share with me that her weekends were spent in partying and drinking beer. We laughed again; And before she went away to help another customer, I said to her, “One day you are going to be sorry that you did not seek the Lord.” 
She laughed and said, “I know.”
As I left the restaurant and got in my car, a thought came into my mind. The Gospel is not just about being saved from eternal punishment or being saved from our just reward before a holy God. This should be enough to scare all of us when we consider the severity of a life lived for eternity separated from our loving God and Father or punished for eternity in that place we have come to know as Hell.
Jesus Christ came into this world not just to give us eternal life after this one is over, but also to give us “abundant life” in the here and now, something that seemed somehow missing in my friend at Subway.
This life we live today is a precious gift of God. One intended to be lived to the fullest; to be most enjoyed; to be fulfilling–a life filled with joy, hope, and peace. A life lived not in chaos, fear, sorrow, depression, or regrets. 
The Word of God, with its laws and directions for our lives, is not intended to show us that God is in charge or otherwise, but rather it is a guide from the Creator and Sustainer of this life on how to live our lives to the fullest and in a way that blesses us and brings glory to Him. In other words the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a parachute against ultimate failure and death but rather a manual to live life today in the way it was intended to be lived–as a true gift, accepted and used. Life on earth today can be a type of heaven or a type of hell.
"The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a parachute against ultimate failure and death but rather a manual to live life today in the way it was intended to be lived."           
When we present the Gospel to another person we need to realize that the fear of hell at the end of life does not convince very many people (though it should) but rather we should consider that the perspectives of living this current life in order, joy, peace, and fulfillment could be exactly what a person needs to hear to know the difference that Jesus can make in a life. You and I know that Jesus Christ has transformed our lives from chaos into order, from fear into joy, from depression into gladness, from loneliness into a personal relationship with God, and from fear of the end of life to a wonderful expectation that life on earth, as enjoyable as it can be, is but a shadow of what life in the presence of God will be.

"Jesus Christ has transformed our lives from chaos to order, from fear to joy, from depression to gladness, from loneliness to a personal relationship with God, and from fear of the end of life to a wonderful expectation that life on earth, as enjoyable as it can be, is but a shadow of what life in the presence of God will be."
My friend needed to hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus for today, not just for the end of life. 
I went back and had another opportunity to share with her what Jesus could do in her life and the life of her family if she gave Him a chance. She listened and smiled. I know I need to go buy some more sandwiches at this Subway.
Help me Jesus to share with her and to allow her to see in me the joy of a life lived with and for you in the here and now.
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            Fr. Jose+



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