Annette
Madden
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I am a Catholic with a sister who is an evangelical Christian.
She believes solely in the Bible as God's Word and that
it should be studied verse by verse. She has encouraged
me to read and study the Bible, which I have begun to do.
I am struggling with my Catholic faith in a number of areas.
The question I now have relates to a show I saw on the
EWTN Catholic T.V. network last night.
I can't remember the name of the show however they discussed
the Nicene Creed, Heaven and Hell. The expert who was interviewed
by Father indicated that the Pope recently implied that
all good people (including Atheists) could be saved through
the mercy and grace of God.
St. Paul in Romans and other letters, repeatedly affirms
that only those who have faith that Jesus is God can be
saved through this faith. I know this is an age-old, sticking
point between Catholics and Protestant sects but it is
starting to affect my Catholic faith. It is hard to reconcile
what Paul says and what the Church teaches with regard
to this doctrine.
- Do you think I have to leave the Church because of this
doubt?
I am afraid to go to Confession because I think the priest
may tell me to leave the Church.
I would appreciate your response.
Annette
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Should I leave over doubts about the Church's interpretation of what St. Paul teaches in Romans? }
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John
replied:
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Hi, Annette —
Thanks for your question. First of all, you need
to be careful not to make the same mistake Luther,
Calvin, and every other Protestant makes when they
read Paul.
Romans, for instance, is not suggesting that faith
alone justifies us, but faith apart from works
of the Law justifies us.
Paul never, ever,
ever, ever, says we are saved by faith alone. In
fact, he writes to the Ephesians that we are saved
by grace, through faith, and for good works, so it's a package deal but more specifically to your question:
Catholics
derive their doctrine of Salvation from the Gospels
as well as the New Testament Epistles. In fact, the
Church uses the entire Bible as well as Apostolic
Tradition.
Using strictly the Gospels, I would refer you to Matthew Chapter 25 and read the section about the
judgment of the sheep and the goats. Notice that
it is the judgment of the nations and not the believers.
This is obvious, because both the saved and the damned
ask Jesus, when did we
feed you, when did we cloth you, etc. Now
someone who had professed faith in Jesus Christ during
this life, would never ask that question. For one
thing, they would probably be familiar with the text but moreover, every Christian knows that any act
of charity we do for our fellow man, we do for Jesus.
So these people being judged, didn't know Him in
their earthly life, yet some were saved.
Now that doesn't mean they were saved by their own
good works. Ultimately, they were saved by the Blood
of Jesus and the Grace they responded to.
John
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Annette —
I just wanted to add to what my colleague John has
said.
No Catholic should ever consider leaving the Church
due to doubts about certain teachings of the Church. The portions of the Catechism that follow may help
you understand the issue better.
Faith and understanding
156 What moves us to believe is not the fact that
revealed truths appear as true and intelligible
in the light of our natural reason: we believe "because
of the authority of God himself who reveals them,
who can neither deceive nor be deceived". (Vatican I, Dei Filius 3:DS 3008) So "that the submission of our faith might
nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God
willed that external proofs of his Revelation should
be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit." (Vatican I, Dei Filius 3:DS 3009) Thus
the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies,
the Church's growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness
and stability "are the most certain signs
of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence
of all"; they are "motives of credibility" (motiva
credibilitatis), which show that the assent
of faith is "by no means a blind
impulse of the mind". (Vatican I, Dei Filius 3:DS 3008-3010; cf. Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4)
157 Faith is certain. It is more certain than
all human knowledge because it is founded on the
very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed
truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience,
but "the certainty that the divine light gives
is greater than that which the light of natural
reason gives." (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,171,5,obj.3)
"Ten thousand difficulties do not make one
doubt."
(John Henry Cardinal Newman, Apologia pro vita sua (London: Longman, 1878) 239)
158 "Faith seeks understanding" (St. Anselm, Prosl. prooem.:PL 153,225A.): it
is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to
know better the One in whom he has put his faith,
and to understand better what He has revealed;
a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call
forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by
love. The grace of faith opens "the eyes of
your hearts" (Ephesians 1:18) to a lively understanding of
the contents of Revelation: that is, of the totality
of God's plan and the mysteries of faith, of their
connection with each other and with Christ, the
center of the revealed mystery. "The same
Holy Spirit constantly perfects faith by his gifts,
so that Revelation may be more and more profoundly
understood." (Vatican II, Dei Verbum 5)
In the words of St. Augustine, "I
believe, in order to understand; and I understand,
the better to believe." (St. Augustine, Sermo 43,7,9:PL 38,257-258)
159 Faith and science: "Though faith is above
reason, there can never be any real discrepancy
between faith and reason. Since the same God who
reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed
the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot
deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth." (Vatican I, Dei Filius 4:DS 3017) "Consequently,
methodical research in all branches of knowledge,
provided it is carried out in a truly scientific
manner and does not override moral laws, can never
conflict with the faith, because the things of
the world and the things of faith derive from the
same God. The humble and persevering investigator
of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were,
by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it
is God, the conserver of all things, who made them
what they are." (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 36 § 1)
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The cardinal virtues
1806 Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical
reason to discern our true good in every circumstance
and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the
prudent man looks where he is going." (Proverbs 14:15) "Keep
sane and sober for your prayers." (1 Peter 4:7) Prudence
is "right reason in action," writes St.
Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II,47,2) It is not
to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with
duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga
virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues);
it guides the other virtues by setting rule and
measure. It is prudence that immediately guides
the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines
and directs his conduct in accordance with this
judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply
moral principles to particular cases without error
and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and
the evil to avoid. |
You said:
I am afraid to go to Confession because I think the priest
may tell me to leave the Church.
No priest would ever tell you such a thing so don't
worry about it, rather ask for his advice and help.
That's what he's there for!
Hope this helps,
Mike
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