Is Jesus In Heaven?

First, kudos to the folks down at the Illinois Valley News for providing a valuable community forum! Their new online ‘Letters to the Editor’ addition now allows folks to communicate more quickly and effectively regarding life in the Illinois Valley. A service I encourage all my readers to take advantage of as I did recently…

 

Eating meat seen as bar to entering Heaven
From Ronald Greene
Cave Junction

Michael Vick, the dog killer, has blood on his hands. However, the rest of us, including the readers of this newspaper, stand just as guilty.

We also have blood on our hands, and due to perverted appetites nationally, it goes through our hands and into our guts. Being mammals, cattle have nervous systems almost identical to ours.

Cattle feel the horrors of pain. They scream when the blade hits them. Their blood flies through the air and splashes onto the walls, the floor, and the rubber coat and boots of the slaughterhouse assassin all day, every day, by the millions. Cattle, sheep, swine and other animals are continuously slaughtered to satisfy man’s depraved, never-ending appetite for blood.

We pack our stomachs with their dead carcasses as we demand the slaughter houses to keep the supply coming. All this animal suffering despite an abundance of fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs and grains in the USA. But we are not satisfied unless we have a continual supply of the flesh and blood of dead animals to munch on.

We cannot point the finger of accusation at Vick without pointing two fingers at ourselves.

Looking into the face of a cow in a pasture we see they are so trusting, but we plot to turn them into burgers. What about lamb chops? God the Father chose/created the lamb to be a symbol of His Son Jesus. So innocent are they.

But we are not satisfied until we shed their blood and continually introduce them into our belly.

If Christians hope to enter Heaven, now is the time to practice being vegetarian, because in Heaven, only vegetarians will be allowed to enter. See Revelation 21:4.

 Letters to the Editor

Eating Meat A Bar To Heaven?

Jim Evans (Cave Junction) : Wed Sep 5 21:12:38 2007

After reading ‘Eating meat seen as bar to entering Heaven’ I find myself thankful there is one Church founded by Christ on earth with sole authority to interpret Sacred Scripture correctly.

While I appreciate Mr. Greene’s sincere care and obvious love for God’s creatures and note his sincere personal promotion of vegetarianism, his argument promotes a false ascetical practice that is not biblical.

For the sake of any soul who might be misguided or fear their salvation for the lack of a proper vegetarian diet, here’s a short but sure reality to consider concerning Mr. Greene’s premise: Jesus Christ was not a vegetarian.

Sacred Scripture makes it clear that Jesus observed the Passover (Mat. 26:17-19; Mk. 14:12-16; Lk. 2:41; 22:8-15; Jn. 2:13,23; 6:4; 11:55; 18:28,39; 19:14) and of necessity the consumption of meat was required (Ex. 12:11-13), indeed, it was the Passover itself (Lk. 22:11). God Himself commanded his people to sacrifice a lamb and sprinkle the blood on their doorposts (so the Angel of Death would pass by their homes), then, they would consume the lamb sealing their covenant with God.

As the true Lamb of God, we Catholic’s recognize that the Passover Lamb prefigured the Holy Eucharist that Christ instituted at the Last Supper. Jesus said, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life within you” (John 6: 53). After the consecration of bread and wine is complete no bread and wine remain on the altar, only Jesus Himself under the appearance of bread and wine: body, blood, soul, and divinity. The faith to understand this 2000-year-plus mystery of the Christian faith requires that deep conversion which the Gospel calls for (Lk 24: 13-32). Mr. Greene’s article does not clearly state whether he is a Christian or not, but, from the little evidence I’ve provided here it is clear that consumption of meat is no bar to Heaven. In fact, in both the old and new testament it was and is a requirement of God respectively.

Peace to you and yours Ronald,

Jim Evans

www.fratres.wordpress.com