Is a quadraplegic with faith prohibited from entering Heaven?
Faith in Jesus is the only way to the Father; those are His words. Works may be an outward sign of your internal faith, and we believe that, yes, a man with faith WILL manifest some sort of works. But it is the faith that saves him, and the faith that drives the works, not the other way around.
“Is a quadraplegic with faith prohibited from entering Heaven?”
That question right there made me think of this:
http://comedians.comedycentral.com/lewis-black/videos/lewis-black-—college-horse
Um, a quadriplegic could still do good works by prayer for others, charitable donations, counseling the depressed, visiting the imprisoned, donating to help bury the dead, etc. I am not sure what being paralyzed has to do with it.
St. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 13 that “if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing” and that is why Catholics feel works are a NECESSARY outward sign of faith. Of course, faith comes first and the action is based on living the faith.
The good thief hanging beside Christ had faith and works and that is what saved him. He believed— but then he acted by asking Christ to help him and defending Him to the other thief. Had he remained a silent believer, it may have been a whole different story for him.
I challenge you to examine the Gospels and write the work “ACTION” in the margin wherever faith in action appears. The parables and Christ’s advice to the Apostles, the Sermon on the Mount, etc. You will be surprised at how often you are writing it. What is the Spirit trying to tell us? Action is required. Look at the exhortations of the Apostles in the Acts and the Epistles. Write “ACTION” everywhere they talk about doing something faith related. You will see it on almost every page! They did not tell the new converts to sit at home and scrutinize Scripture and argue over minute interpretations. They said to do good works for each other. For them, faith was not enough; they expected the new Christians to go out and evangelize and help each other and live the Gospel.
The Pharisees thought they were full of faith, and they were. They loved God, as they interpreted Him, very much. But Christ was clear that their misguided and strident faith was meaningless to God because they ACTED in unloving ways. They were proud and condescending and judgmental. Christ told us that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter heaven. Clearly there is something beside faith required.
If you examine the New Testament with an open mind you will see that the Catholic interpretation of the importance of faith based ACTION is the best explanation of the Gospel and Christ’s intentions.