How Does In God's Love relate to the Catholic Church?

Does In God's Love 
written by Janet Hurlow
contradict
the Catholic Faith ?

  Chapter 3 We Believe there is Evil in the World
                     (Continued) 3/3

            Part 4 Death

280          There is no life in death.  The messengers write, “God is the Creator of all things.  Blessings on Earth are His signs of life.  All of mankind is welcome to life.  ‘Come, share in God’s creation,’ is our plea.  Seek God’s Spirit, and you shall be created.  In God are all things.  In death, signs of life are no more.”(108)   Therefore, we should not seek out death. 

281           As the Catechism states, “Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.  Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self…. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.”(109) 

282           The messengers echo this: “From God’s Spirit issues life.  Warm is life.  Right is it to wish to live.  Seek not death.  No light is in death.”(110)   The Church offers the hope of salvation for those who have committed suicide by saying that God, in His own mysterious ways, “can provide an opportunity for salutary repentance”(111)   While the messengers do not deny or confirm this “opportunity,” their focus is on the dreadful possibilities of an unrepentant suicide.  “He (Satan) is so pleased when a foolish person cries, ‘I can’t take it here’ and that person jumps off a high wall and his or her soul lands right into the arms of the most vile, heartless creature who ever was.  He laughs when, in the process of, ‘all is lost,’ one loses the last, precious commodity of all….Remember, wonderful things have been waiting for people who have died minutes before a prayer was answered.”(112)

283           In God is all life, and anything else, other than God, is death.  We have already mentioned that all life comes from God.(113)   The messengers state, “This is the most serious message in this book.  It is a message that teaches Earth creatures.  His love is life, and all the desires of creation are in the Holy Spirit.  It teaches Earth creatures: in God is all life.  To seek less is death and sorrow forever.  Real is this lesson.  Reflect on it often.  Believe this.  Never depart from it.”(114) 

284           If we are in God’s love, we do not need to fear death.   The Catechism, quoting scripture proclaims, “Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: ‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ (Philippians 1:21) ‘The saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.’(2 Timothy 2:11)”(115)  Paul, in Corinthians, also writes, “Death is swallowed up in victory.  Where O death is your victory?  Where O death is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”(116)  

285           The Catechism also has several quotes from saints on their view of death.  St. Ignatius of Antioch writes, “It is better for me to die in (eis) Christ Jesus than to reign over the ends of the Earth. Him it is I seek - who died for us. Him it is I desire - who rose for us. I am on the point of giving birth .... Let me receive pure light; when I shall have arrived there, then shall I be a man. <576>”(117)   Again, it quotes him saying, “My Earthly desire has been crucified; . . . there is living water in me, water that murmurs and says within me: Come to the Father. <579>”(118)   It quotes St. Teresa of Avila: “I want to see God and, in order to see him, I must die.<580>”(119)   And St. Therese of Lisieux: “I am not dying; I am entering life <581>.”(120) 

286           This saintly chorus would be right at home with the messengers who proclaim, “Fear not the sting of death, O wise ones of God.  Swift and gentle is God’s heart.  Come in such kindness.”(121)   They also joyfully proclaim, “Death, to those who are in God’s love, is not death at all.  It is a passing into a new life as the child comes from the womb into the arms of a loving mother.  What a promise.  What a reason to rejoice.  This day is a wonderful day to be alive.  Someone loves you and will be with you in your passing.  Someone who loves you will comfort you and reassure you that everything will be alright.  Believe this, small Earth spirit, there is nothing to fear.  All is well because you have done well, and God is pleased with you.  In that hour, Satan must release his clutches on you.  So what is there to fear, except the power of the evil one?  You will be delivered into the arms of God.”(122) 

287           In these passages from In God’s Love, we can hear the Catechism’s echo of dying while in Christ’s love we have nothing to fear.  We can hear the echo of Paul’s mocking death’s little sting.  We can hear Ignatius’ echo of a new birth and St. Therese’s proclamation of entering life.  We can feel the joy of St. Therese of Avila wanting to see God in her description of our delivery into the arms of God.  Like a mother comforting her child about a small fear, the messengers write, “Soft is the symbol of death on the spirits of Christ’s beloved spirits.  Children(123)  are cared for in this symbol.  So blessed is this calling.  From Earth, they came bearing the scars of Satan’s wrath in such courage, each one realizing such fear of death was a phantom of a child’s dream.  Such things are not real.  Soon past and smiled at.”(124)   You feel good now, don’t you?
 
            Part 5 Summary

288           As in the previous Chapters, a vast number of the theological statements are the same as the Catholic Church and are even expressed in the same manner.  Satan is real; he offers pain and suffering, for he is powerful, especially if people want him to have power.  He is death and is a murderer, a dark monster, who hates us.  He is against life and God.  He hates acts of love and has no mercy.  He wants people to be like him.  He is the prince of lies, and the lies he tells are that God will not forgive us, that he is god, and to trust in money and power.  He destroys other people by telling lies about them.  While Satan is limited by God, he moves in and causes suffering where God is not invited and dwelling.  Sin disrespects and offends God, and we should fear displeasing the God who made us and loves us.  Our Father does not want us to suffer, but sometimes He chastises us in love to bring us back to Him.  God can use sorrow and bring good out of evil.  Even in our suffering, God promises to be with us if we reach out for Him, and no matter how much we suffer in this life, our cross will be worth it if we remain in Christ, for we will pass through death into a new, wonderful life with God who is all life.  There is no life in death and we should not seek death, but rather seek life.

289           One could perhaps argue that some of the above could go in this next list or vice versa.  The following are theological statements that agree with the Tradition of the Catholic Church, but things are expressed differently or perhaps taken a little further than we have traveled with our doctrine.  In Satan there is emptiness, no laughter, no true pleasure, no rest, no closeness, and his wrath (unlike God’s) has no mercy for it comes from hate for mankind and not love.  Satan lies and tells us that God does not exist, there is no hell, that sin is fun, and that we have no purpose in life.  Satan is limited, for he has no power in God’s Spirit and God will ban him from the Earth.   Satan has no power beyond Earth’s sun.  While this is interesting and new, I do not recall anywhere in our tradition that states that his power goes beyond our solar system.  It certainly shows how limited this being truly is, and perhaps changes our perception of the universe.  As noted we can see roots for this assertion in Revelation 12:9.  There is no peace in sin.  Sorrow comes because mankind turns away from God and His protection and lets evil in: this is called God’s wrath.  People who do not accept God’s Fatherhood release poisonous energy.  Sorrow is not in the nature of God, for virtue was present in the beginning, but not sorrow.  Yet, sorrow works in God’s Spirit.  On her own, sorrow is against mankind and is hell, but God can use her to chastise people and give them an opportunity for conversion, repentance and forgiveness.  Sorrow is a saint of God because she does God’s will.  Sorrow hates that she is used by God for the good.   I bet she does.  Think how ticked Satan and sorrow must get every time an abortionist turns to the light and becomes a spokesperson for life, or an alcoholic joins AA, or any time suffering leads not to despair, but a conversion of heart.  That is probably stretching the definition of sainthood to the maximum, but in reality it is just recognizing the theological assertion that God can use all things for the good, even sorrow, which He uses for loving chastisement.  When we die, Satan must release his grip on us.

290           One could argue that some of the above paragraph could go into this list and vice versa.  This is a list of theological statements that stress a different emphasis of our tradition, or expand the horizon of our doctrine while walking on the same paths of truth of our doctrine.(125)    Some natural disasters are caused by man’s sick souls and by devil worshipers releasing evil spirits.  As noted, while the Church has maintained that we should not participate in games of Satan, I do not believe it has linked sorcery to natural disasters, or sinful souls to natural disasters.  Does this contradict the faith?  We have always held that there is a connection between sins, Satan, and suffering.  This thought takes that theological path into more detailed assertions.  Once again, be careful to note that nowhere do the messengers say that those who suffer from the natural disasters are the people who caused the disasters by their sin or their witchcraft.  Finally, they assert that many people who committed suicide needed to hang on just a little longer and their prayers were going to be answered.  The answered prayer that is just around the bend is actually is more of an observation on their part than it is a theological statement, and therefore, is not relevant in determining if the book is faithful to the Catholic faith or not.(126) 

291           While the connection of sorcery and sin to natural disasters take us further down a path than we have gone doctrinally, it does not appear to be changing the direction of that path.  The solar limitation of Satan is interesting, but doctrinally insignificant since it does not change our core belief that God can and does limit Satan.  I do not believe anything in this chapter, especially when read in the context that they are presented here in “The Presentation” and in the context they are written in the book In God’s Love, presents, a challenge to what we believe as Catholics.     

  The next section in Part One   Chapter 4  We Believer that God made us and gave us Freewill   :  1/2