I regularly come to mass and support with the offering, is this enough to be admitted to the kingdom of heaven? Our Lord Jesus Christ taught us through parables the importance of being ready for the end of times (Matthew 13:47-50, Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 16:19-31), he also tells us that we do not know neither the day nor the hour in which it will arrive (Matthew 25:13).
“We have to be ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be really attentive to the Gospels; makes us ready, the messages we hear in the Gospels at every Mass constantly remind us to be kind, to be charitable, to speak well of one another, to be ready in the presence of Jesus with our actions, to go to the table of the Lord, because there is where we get the food we need to get ready. Let us also remember that at the end of the Mass, we are told to go and be Eucharist for others, to go in peace to share what we have seen and heard at Mass. It is our job at the end of the mass to bring the good news to others, to be ready, to live honest and morally correct lives.” i
To be ready we must follow the example of Christ, love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40), do everything possible to be able to participate in the Lord’s supper, and fulfill our mission to evangelize.
To follow Jesus Christ implies following his teachings, commemorating the paschal sacrifice, and above all participating in said sacrifice, which is the Holy Eucharist, since we have to eat the body of Christ because He is the living bread that came down from heaven, and the one who eats from that bread you will have eternal life. (John 6:51)
I Poth, Thomas “Homily” 8:00 AM Mass, 1 Sep. 2023, The Parish of Saint Patrick, Bay Shore