We may imagine Judgment. A Protestant soul stands before The Judge, and is asked: “Why did you choose to ignore My words: ‘If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you.’?”
That soul will suddenly be aware of Jesus in His Full Majesty, ruling all there is. The soul will be as aware of The Father and The Holy Spirit. The soul will know that either eternal joy or pain is hanging from the answer. There may be some dim memory of a Biblical passage that allows this response, the same given by Adam and Eve when asked why they’d disobeyed obvious instructions, shifting blame:
“I was led astray.”
“Who led you astray? Who would want you to ignore my clear, direct instruction: ‘If you do not eat My Body and drink My Blood, you do not have life in you.’? Who led you astray? Who encouraged you to avoid The Church that I began by saying to the first Pope, ‘Thou art Peter, and on this rock, I build My Church.’ Who led you astray?”
The soul, desperate to avoid the pains below: “I was led astray by Protestant ministers.”
That may work for some. Can it work for those who wanted to be led astray?
So, it’s hard to tell. Who’s in big trouble at Judgment?
Those of us who didn’t work hard enough to warn people about the punishment for apostasy may be in the greatest danger.
All of us need His mercy. Being reasonably good Catholics helps us to have His beloved saints, angels, and Blessed Mother asking Him to grant us the mercy we so desperately need.
