Jesus Came to End Death and to Build a Church

What I find so fascinating about the Catholic faith is the rich history and depth. I am constantly learning new things about being a Catholic and more often than not, much of our religion is rooted in Biblical text. Which is confusing because often those that attempt to tear down the Church try to use the Bible to do so. That is a topic for an earlier day as I explained before when I wrote about doing the Devil's work for him. We as Christians should always look to commonalities rather than building walls to separate ourselves. What caused me to start this topic was the practice that many Catholics observe of having a Mass said for a deceased family member or friend. I learned today that that practice is rooted in 2 Maccabees 12:39-46. It makes sense of course if we simply think critically about our lives as humans. Are we ever in a perfect state like Jesus was when he died? We are striving for this perfection but know that ultimately our humanness will get in the way. So offering prayers of forgiveness for those we have lost is logical. Our God is loving and full of forgiveness. We just need to ask and then turn away from sin. I will continue to pray for the loved ones I have lost and I hope that my family and friends do the same for me once I am gone to my heavenly home. So that I don't leave you with a heavy heart, I thought I would share a joke on the matter as well. A priest and a bus driver both died and went to Heaven at the same time. They get to the pearly gates where Pope St. Peter greets them. He motions to the priest, and they both hop in a jeep and go out the back door. There are about 50 acres of rolling hills with a little cottage on the knoll. St. Peter turns to the priest and says "This will be yours for eternity. A perfect little cottage, right next to lovely pond, a lush little garden, and a library full of books." The priest says, "Thank you so much. This I shall enjoy!" St. Peter drops off the priest, goes back to the pearly gates and motions to the bus driver. They hop in a stretch limo and go out the front door. There are about 500 acres of land, with mountains and lakes and rivers. There is a huge 200-room castle on one of the mountains, and a wishing well that makes wishes come true. St. Peter says "This will be yours for eternity. You can live in that castle with servants to wait on you hand and foot, and you can have everything you want." The bus driver looks and St. Peter and says "Well, now, don't think I'm not grateful, but why am I getting so much more than the priest?" St. Peter just laughs and says "You brought more souls to Heaven! When the priest preached, everyone fell asleep. When you drove your bus, people prayed!"