A Parable: The Father’s Judgment

A man died and went to heaven. When he arrived, he was overjoyed to be greeted by many who had passed before him: friends, family members, and many members of his church, including former pastors.

After what seemed like a long time, he remembered his children. Surely, they would have arrived by now, he figured. So he began looking for them. He looked and looked, but he could not find them. He began to feel distressed because he remembered their many sins. He had always worried that he wouldn’t see them in heaven with him.

“I warned them!” He thought to himself. I warned them, and I was right!”

He quickly realized that being right offered him no comfort. He missed his children. He wondered if maybe there was a way to save them from hell and bring them into heaven with him. He asked his pastors. He asked his friends from church. He asked his family. But they all said the same thing: “Sorry, your kids are lost. It’s best for you to just forget about them and enjoy your reward here in heaven.”

But the man couldn’t enjoy anything. He was really mad at God. He had prayed his entire life for God to save his children from hell, and God didn’t do it. “God owes me,” he figured. “After all, I was a good Christian.”

He decided to petition God. He searched and searched, but he couldn’t find God. After some time, an angel appeared before him.

The angel said, “God has sent me to you. You have a message for Him.” The man said, “Tell God that I can’t be happy here in heaven when my children are burning are in hell. I know they had terrible sins, but I was a good Christian. I was baptized, went to church every Sunday, took the sacraments, studied the Bible, and prayed all the time. He owes me. I want my kids brought out of hell and here with me.”

The angel departed to deliver the message to God. After what seemed like a long time, the angel reappeared. The man’s heart sank when he heard God’s message:

“My child, my Son covered your children’s sins as well as yours. Your children are in Heaven. You have always judged them unworthy to share eternity with you, and I will always honor your free will.”