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“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur.

Can you imagine a paradise where there is no sin, no hate, no war, no suffering of any kind? It has been written about in books and poems, movies have been made about it, many men and women have spent restless nights under the stars dreaming of the very place. A utopia like this is what we all desire because we were made for it.

Journey back with me to the beginning. Imagine the state of Adam and Eve in the garden, complete love of God and each other. They had no sin and did not use the other, but only had room for love. They had no concept even of what sin was. Perfection! Sounds great right?

Well then, something happened that changed the course of history. Adam and Eve fell. They sinned against an eternal God. And the only thing that could save all of humanity is if that same eternal God became one of us and made the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. And that is precisely what Jesus did on the cross.

But the beautiful thing is that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross does not take us back to the beginning, it takes us beyond. In the garden, Adam and Eve did not experience the beatific vision, that is, they did not “see” God. They did not perfectly participate in His divinity. This is a state that is reserved for us now because God became a man. This is why the Catechism says that “God became man so that man might become God.”

This is our destiny. This should give us immense hope. So if you are still dreaming or writing about that Utopia, take faith in the fact that this is our destiny, to be happy with God forever, and that truly is good news. From all of us here at Diocesan, God Bless!

Tommy Shultz is a Solutions Evangelist for Diocesan. In that role, he is committed to coaching parishes and dioceses on authentic and effective Catholic communication. Tommy has a heart and a flair for inspiring people to live their faith every day. He has worked in various youth ministry, adult ministry, and diocesan roles. He has been a featured speaker at retreats and events across the country. His mission and drive have been especially inspired by St. John Paul II’s teachings. Tommy is blessed to be able to learn from the numerous parishes he visits and pass that experience on in his presentations. Contact him at tshultz@diocesan.com.