Two Paths to Heaven - Cardinal Bacci

Two Paths to Heaven

1. The first road to Heaven is the way of innocence. There are some generous souls who preserve till the end of life their original baptismal purity. St. Aloysius Gonzaga never ceased to repent of two small faults for which he could hardly be held responsible since he committed them in the ignorance of early childhood. Having lived like an angel in human form, he died with a smile on his lips murmuring that he was happy to be going to Heaven at last.

In more recent times there was the lovable boy saint, Dominic Savio. On the day of his first Holy Communion he made the resolution “Death rather than sin,” a resolution to which he remained faithful throughout his innocent young life.

Throughout its history the Church could boast of many other members like these who reflected the absolute purity and perfection of its divine Head and Founder. It should be our desire to possess this innocence, so that we may be pure and holy in the sight of God and may remain always close to Him. Sin is ugly. It deprives us of God, our only true good, and makes us unhappy, because the sinner can never be at peace. It makes us restless and remorseful during life, and when we come to die, unless God’s mercy intervenes, it causes us to despair of salvation. Let us jealously guard our state of innocence, keeping it intact by fervent prayer and meditation.

2. If we have been unfortunate enough to have lost our baptismal innocence by falling into sin, we should not be discouraged. God’s mercy opens another way for us, the way of penance. “I have come,” Jesus tells us, “to call sinners, not the just.” (Mt. 9:13)

Our divine Redeemer foresaw in the Garden of Gethsemane all our sins and acts of ingratitude. Nevertheless, He offered Himself as a victim of expiation on our behalf, and shed His Precious Blood upon the Cross for our redemption. How would it be possible for Him to refuse to forgive us? How could He not long to save us in spite of our sins? Let us recall the consoling parables of the prodigal son and the lost sheep. If we feel that we fall into the category of prodigal sons or lost sheep, then let us turn to Jesus for forgiveness.

3. This second path to Heaven, however, demands sacrifice on our part. Our repentance must be practical and supernatural. It should lead us to confess our sins in the Sacrament of Penance and to regain God’s friendship in Holy Communion. After that our way must be one of self-mortification: “Unless you repent,” Jesus warns us, “you will all perish.” (Luke 13:5)

The first penance which we must perform is to offer to God all the physical and moral sufferings which are in store for us during life and at the hour of death. Then we must add our own voluntary acts of self-denial. The generosity of the Saints in this regard was rewarded by the lasting friendship of God. As for ourselves, we should remember that Jesus Himself has warned us that we shall be lost if we neglect to do penance. (Ibid.)

The Repentance of Peter - Cardinal Bacci

The Repentance of St. Peter

1. Peter had denied his Master three times. He was standing in the courtyard of the High Priest warming himself before a brazier and not even thinking of the depths to which he had descended. Jesus, calumniated, struck and mocked as if He were criminal, forgets altogether about Himself. Moved by compassion for the leader of His Apostles, now become a perjurer, He turns His gaze towards him. Peter is jerked back to his senses by this look, which is at the same time stern and affectionate. He realises at last the level to which he has fallen. He is stricken to the heart and feels a sudden tightness in his throat. “And Peter went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)

Peter saw clearly at this stage the chasm into which he had fallen. He thought of all the gifts and favours which he had received from Jesus and recalled the prophecy which his Master had made. “A cock will not crow this day, until thou hast denied three times that thou knowest me.” (Luke 22:34) He remembered also how he had sworn that he would never deny Jesus. Now he saw himself in the role of the prodigal son or the lost sheep... and as he wept bitterly he saw again the reproachful yet loving gaze of Jesus. His grief found an outlet in his tears and he was filled with confidence that Jesus in His infinite goodness would forgive him. If we should fall (as we often do, unfortunately), let us rise again immediately as Peter did. Let us weep for our sins and kneeling before Jesus, represented by the priest, let us confess our faults and tell God that we shall never offend Him again.

2. When Peter realised how wretchedly he had fallen, the first thing which he did was to escape from the occasion of sin. “Peter went out.” (Luke 22:62) He grieved for his three sins not only on that sad night but throughout his life. St. Clement writes that he wept so often that his tears wore two deep furrows in his cheeks and that whenever he heard the cock crowing, the cry pierced his heart. He loved Jesus sincerely and passionately. When he was asked three times if he loved Him, he replied humbly: “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.” (Cf. John 21:16) Can we say these same words to Jesus with equal sincerity and humility? If we really love Jesus as Peter did, and are prepared to face death for His sake as Peter was, then we may be sure that we shall never offend God again.

3. Two of the Apostles sinned seriously. Peter denied Jesus and Judas betrayed Him. Both regretted their offence, but Peter's was the repentance of love and that of Judas was the remorse of despair. Judas also admitted his fault. “I have sinned,” he said, “in betraying innocent blood.” (Mt. 27:4) He flung the thirty pieces of silver, which he received as a reward for his crime, into the temple. But he did not return to Jesus, Who had even called him His friend at the time of the betrayal. He did not trust in His infinite goodness, but went away in despair and hanged himself with a halter from a tree. Let us adore the mystery of the providence and mercy of God, but let us remember that we are lost if we abuse it. Our next sin could be the last which we should have the opportunity of committing. If God did not grant us the grace to repent, we could end in the manner of Judas rather than that of Peter. Let us think earnestly about this and form new resolutions with sincerity and humility.