An interview in a digital newspaper (libertaddigital.com) with a woman named Laura Riñón Sirera whom I do not have the pleasure of knowing or having read any of the novels she has published. For some reason unknown to me, the journalist interviews an evangelical key, using verses as a question. Toward the end of it, the following dialog appears:
“Journalist, what did she once believe in and, from a certain moment on, stopped believing?
A: In the god of the Christian religion. I believed until I was 24 o 25 years old. I went to mass on Sundays and prayed every day. One day, I asked myself: “This man, who is he?” And, rather than stop believing, I transformed it into something else. You can’t stop believing in something that, in the end, has helped you. The god that religions have created is a god to grab you, to give hope, and to generate guilt. “I can not do this; If I do it, God punishes me.”
I automatically think: “Another one who has had it explained badly.”
And I begin a monologue that I would like to share with you.
They also explained it badly to me. The thing about God punishing… and all that. “The good guys go to heaven, the bad guys go to hell” and so on.
But hey, this lady is already old (and I give her the benefit of thinking that being a novelist she should have some culture). Maybe I could have checked something, the sources, right?
It is true that for centuries, many centuries, the black legend of “God punishes” has been transmitted from generation to generation by some active members of the Church (priests, bishops and consecrated persons) and the passive members (the faithful) They swallowed with an amen, but come on, it is enough to listen carefully to each phrase of Mass, read the gospel carefully (and if necessary listen to some of the many comments that are found on the networks daily today) and read the greats (St. Peter, Saint Therese of Jesus (or of Calcutta or of Liseux),), Saint Raphael Arnaiz, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the Holy Curé of Ars, Saint Faustina Kowalska, and many more!!), to understand that the name of God is Mercy, not punishment.
Those who talk about God punishing must have had a terrible (wrong) experience with I don’t know what god.
Neither God created the human being (sorry for using a politically correct term) to condemn him, nor did Christ come into the world to punish him.
Even more so, God DOES NOT punish, God REDEEMS.
Let’s just look at Jesus’ last hours on earth (before his resurrection). Especially in what is experienced in each Eucharist, in the words spoken by Him: “This is my body”… “This is my blood”… “Which will be given for you”… and said and done, it does not remain mere words, but that really delivers, yes!! That he gave himself!!, but not only to the Jews and the Romans, Christ gives himself to the Father!!, for us!!
That is redeeming.
According to the Royal Academy of Language:
“1. Free a person from an obligation, pain or painful situation.
2. Gaining a person’s freedom or removing him from slavery by paying a price.”
He freed us from the punishment deserved for our lack of love for God and neighbor. He has paid the price.
Look at a crucifix. Look at Christ crucified. What evil did he commit? And have you ever committed any evil?
Who has received the punishment? He.
How can there be people who continue to believe that God punishes men?
And what about the judgment and hell? Is all of that a lie, as some now say?
It seems to me that neither judgment nor hell are a lie. Of course when we die we will face a judgment on our life!!, but we already know the sentence.
Saint John of the Cross passed on to us the questions of the judge and the prosecutor: “At the evening of life, they will examine us about love.”
The truth is that Jesus himself had already warned us:
«Master, what is the main commandment of the Law? He answered him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. The second is similar to this: You will love your neighbor as yourself. The entire Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments» Mt. 22, 36-40.
So I imagine myself sitting on the stand:
“Have you loved me?”
“How have you loved me? What have you done to give me your love?”
“Have you loved your brothers, all your neighbors?”
How have you loved them? What have you done to give them your love?
And little else, I suppose.
It’s a bit of a… rigged trial.
Let’s see, who can be afraid of a trial in which the Judge is your Father; Your defense lawyer is Jesus Christ and (sorry for what I’m going to say, because this is my own story and – logically – I don’t have the slightest evidence, but I believe that) the prosecutor is Divine Mercy?
Furthermore, the sentence is established by the prisoner himself.
There are only two options:
1. You accept guilt: “My Lord and my God, I am guilty of not having loved you with all my heart, nor with all my soul, nor with all my mind. Furthermore, I have failed to love all my neighbors, putting my desires, interests and whims before the needs of others.”
And the Lord will say: “You say well, you have failed love, are you sorry?”
And before our repentance, the Lord Jesus Christ will accept in his flesh the punishment that our sin deserves, and we will enter into his bosom.
2. Waivers of the defense: “Throughout my life, I heard about you, but I never believed in you. I never loved you, nor did I have the desire or need to. Furthermore, although at some point I would have believed in you, I rejected you. I did good to my fellow human beings as much as I could, but never for you, I only did it of my own free will.”
And the Lord will say: “You say well, you have failed love, are you sorry?”
And then the prisoner will say: “I have nothing to regret. “I lived life without you, I will live eternity without you.”
And our Father God will respect that last act of freedom, as he has respected each one of those committed in life, for better or worse.
Jesus Christ redeems us, but only if we accept his redemption. He does not impose it.
How is it possible that a God who is a REDEEMER, who came down from heaven to save men and in particular sinners, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Saint Matthew 9:9-13) ), has gone down in history as a God who punishes?
I find it amazing. Without a doubt, none is the most widespread and least questioned fallacy of all in history.
I believe that it is, evidently, the work of the evil one, the “prince of lies.” And he has turned out great.
But it’s okay, right? We’re getting older now. It is time to read… living the Mass… and following “the Way, the Truth and the Life”.
God does NOT punish, God redeems. Don’t be confused, don’t be lied to.
