I hope the Universe (God or whatever) has a use for my consciousness after my body dies but I don’t really believe it will. I am not an atheist just not really believing that “God” really has much need for most of us. The silly idea of hanging out with friends and family in the here after, well, it seems just silly. I would love to be a “Guardian Angel.” I can’t imagine an existence that does not allow for being useful. Reincarnation without a memory of our prior life is no better than nothing after death.

I won’t say there are no people good enough to get into heaven but few would meet the necessary criteria as I see them. We are all sinners and for our sins to be forgiven we need to confess them, actively work to stop committing those sins and make our best effort make amends. Most people don’t even know all the sins they are committing so they can’t confess or stop or make amends. They will carry those sins to their grave. Now Purgatory would allow for the necessary cleansing but is there really a Purgatory. Why would “God” bother, does he really need that many cleansed souls. For what would “God” want them? Maybe “God” would want to rehabilitate some of us for something or maybe “God” even has a use for a few unrepentant sinners of mostly good character.

It think the most useful prayer is to ask “God” to show you what you are doing wrong so that you can fix it.

I am not a practicing Catholic and I don’t believe that Jesus is the Christ and our Lord and Savior (I don’t believe but I don’t know he is not) but the Act of Contrition is a meaningful prayer.

“O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”

Another good prayer “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

TEK