Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that we never hear about heaven or hell anymore? You don’t even hear about what you need to do to get to one, not the other. I like to listen to various podcasts of homilies given by different priests, and I can’t recall any of them mentioning these topics. I take that back, I listen to Bishop J Fulton Sheen, and he does, but unfortunately, that was seventy plus years ago.

Why is this? Has there been some directive from the Vatican or the USCCB about keeping everyone in a good mood? Maybe they don’t want to scare anyone. But the thing is, they should know better than anyone about all these things and should want us to know about them.

Why should we care about heaven and hell and keep them in mind? Because they’re real, and at the end of it all, we’re going to be judged, and it’ll be decided where we end up. These days, I feel like a lot of people don’t think about heaven or hell. They don’t think about the end or about sin. And if they do, it’s just a quick thought here and there. Since it’s not often discussed, people start to believe it’s not real. They think, “God loves everyone, so we’re all going to heaven no matter what.” But that’s not how it works. Yes, God loves us and wants us in heaven, but not if we’re living in sin. That’s the part people seem to miss.

A lot of folks think they’ve got plenty of time to figure it out later. They just want to enjoy life now. But like Jesus said, we don’t know the time or the hour. It could happen anytime. There are so many parables and scripture passages about judgment day, and they all remind us that we don’t know when it’s coming. Take the story of the rich guy who stored up all his stuff, built a new barn, and thought he was set for life. He planned to just relax, eat, drink, and have fun. But that very night, God told him his time was up, and all that stuff he saved was useless. That’s why I always say we need to live with the end in mind. It’s going to happen, no doubt about it.

If you don’t believe in an afterlife or judgment day, that’s your choice. Maybe you’re right, but I don’t think so. I’d rather be safe than sorry because once you’re at heaven’s door, it’s too late. There’s that scripture where someone’s knocking on the door, and Jesus says, “Go away, I don’t know you.” He doesn’t let them in, and that’s what judgment day will be like. That’s why it’s so important to repent now, change your ways, and live a better life without sin. That’s what I’m trying to do. I wish I’d learned all this 50 or 60 years ago. I would’ve lived my life so differently. I just hope it’s not too late for me. Maybe I’ll spend some time in purgatory, but I hope to be with God in heaven forever. Don’t be fooled—this is real, and it’s going to happen someday.

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 ¶ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 12:16–21.