Questions for Catholics?

Question

1.) Do you read the Bible?
2.) What do you believe about how you get to heaven?

Answer 1

1.) Do you read the Bible?

Yes, almost every day.

2.) What do you believe about how you get to heaven?

The easy answer:
+ Accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior
+ Be baptized and spiritually born again
+ Follow the teachings of Jesus Christ
+ Do not commit mortal sin

The complicated answer:

We are already saved:
+ “For in hope we were saved.” (Romans 8:24)
+ “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:5-8)

We are being saved:
+ “He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 1:8)
+ “For we are the aroma of Christ for God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
+ “So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

We have the hope that we will be saved:
+ “How much more then, since we are now justified by his lood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:9-10)
+ “If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Like the Apostle Paul, we are working out our salvation in “fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12) and with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ:
+ “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)
+ “This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11–13)

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

1) Yes, maybe not as much as I should. Ordinary Sunday Catholic Mass includes a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a reading from the New Testament (non Gospel) and a reading from one of the Gospels. Weekday Masses commonly have less, Holy Saturday will have more.

2) The oversimplified answer is through God's grace. Contrary to what some say, we do not think we can earn our way into heaven. We Catholics also do not believe in the concept of once saved always saved. I am sure you read many questions on this site asking "Will I go to heaven if ... ?" or "Is (blank) in heaven if he/she repented?" The standard Catholic answer is "That is for God alone to decide."

Answer 3

1) Yes. We Catholics have daily readings, actually.

2) Jesus gets us into heaven. There is no other way.

Answer 4

1) I read the Bible every day. I also hear God's Word during daily Mass and when reciting Divine Office. The Bible is the most important book for a true Catholic.

2) You get to heaven when your soul has been so deeply transformed by God's love that it reaches complete union with him. That is the work of grace, to which one must open the soul's doors and not obstaculize its action by commiting sins. The practice of virtues, frequent reception of sacraments and prayer are the keys to this "opening of the soul".

Answer 5

1) Yes, we read the Bible. Any reason for not reading it ?
2) We get to heaven by following the teachings of Jesus

Answer 6

I don't read it as much as I should I guess. I rely on the readings at mass and I usually get to mass at least a couple of times a week and on Sunday.

How we get to heaven is by loving all people. How we do that is with the grace we receive through the sacraments.

Answer 7

1) Every single day at Matins, Lauds, Prime, Mass, Vespers, and Compline. That makes about 5 times through the NT and twice through the OT in one year.

2) I "was saved" (by the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ), I am "being saved" by the Holy Sacraments, Christ's pledges of His Love and instruments of His Grace - most especially Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist, and I "will be saved" when He comes again in Glory to judge both the quick and the dead.

Salvation is a process....not an event.

Answer 8

1) Yes.

2) Love. I live my life loving God and others to the best of my ability, and I seek God, among other ways, through the Eucharist, communion with others. As for other people: who is and isn't going to heaven is nobody's business but God's.

*I can't say it better than Fr. K: "Salvation is a process, not an event."

Answer 9

I do read the Bible, and as to getting into heaven, the only way is to know love and serve God. Obey the Ten Commandments and do not lose faith.

Answer 10

1. Yes.
2. Following a sincere, honest and informed conscience. We believe that actual membership in the Church is the best way to achieve that goal since it contains the fullness of the Truth. .