Robert Stacy McCain is one of my favorite bloggers. Yesterday this post went up at his blog:
The post is the story of a 39 year old fellow who assaulted a 14 year old girl, got her pregnant then Stole a 300 year old painting of the Madonna from a church and took the painting and the girl to Mexico, then sold the painting to pay for an Abortion.
In the end the abortion didn’t happen, the child wasn’t put up for adoption and Aurelio Vallerillo Sanchez is now off to serve a 70 year jail term.
I read that headline and understood the irony and humor but all I could think when I read it was: I sure hope not.
What I would like to see is a man who repents and eventually makes it to heaven. There is no limit to the power and mercy of God. I think the abortion was avoided by the mercy of God and the intercession of Mary. I think that the repentance and redemption of Aurelio Vallerillo-Sanchez would be a wonderful thing. I think there is nothing more pleasing to God and more frustrating to Satan than to pull a soul ANY SOUL that is “so going to hell” out of the fire.
I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. Luke 15:7
Now if you’re an atheist you think this is all a fairy tale so this shouldn’t offend you (if you are offended then I guess you’re not the atheist you think you are) if you are a Christian in general or a Catholic in particular you might say: “But DaTechGuy you can’t mean Any Soul? What about someone like Tim McVeigh?” Funny you should bring him up:
Somewhere along the line, clearly something went horribly wrong, and he made a series of choices that culminated in the horrific crime for which he paid the ultimate penalty of the law. But at the end, we know McVeigh was anointed. We may presume that he confessed his sins, since the anointing of the sick, assuming the person about to die is conscious, requires such a confession before the sacrament can be conferred.
If this is the case, and McVeigh’s confession and contrition were sincere, he received Christ’s pardon for all his sins, thus reopening the way to heaven. According to Catholic teaching, McVeigh faced his Lord and Savior for judgment immediately after his death. If he was indeed in a state of grace, he would be received into heaven or sent to an intermediate state called purgatory for a period of purification. There also he would be punished for past sins that, although repented, still needed to be atoned for.
Personally I really like the idea of McVeigh in purgatory and eventually heaven, imagine a soul all ready for the pit suddenly stolen away mere hours from damnation. That type of thing drives Satan nuts.
Now before the inevitable angry comments about justice go up I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine
The next two verses are even more blunt:
If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15
Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.
I suspect the potential satisfaction of somebody’s damnation will be considerably lessened if you’re burning next to him. I think I’d prefer mercy for me any anyone else who’ll accept it.
And if you are a Christian in general and a Catholic in particular you should too.
Update: The Anchoress shows Christian Charity
