Judging non-Catholics

OSV.com ^ | 08-17-16 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Judging non-Catholics Seeing into the hearts of those outside the Church, the Lord will judge them by their knowledge, deeds

Msgr. Charles Pope Catholic, August 28, 2016

8/17/2016

Question: How will God judge non-Catholics at the time of their death? — William Bandle, Manchester, Missouri

Answer: Scripture says, “God does not see as a mortal ... The Lord looks into the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). Thus, God, who knows our hearts, will judge us based on what is there. Not all have had the same opportunity to come to know the Lord, his Church and the help of the sacraments. God is just; he knows this and will judge accordingly.

Jesus says, “That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations or act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating, shall be beaten only lightly” (Lk 12:47-48).

In terms of non-Catholics who lacked some knowledge or sacraments of the Church, God will look into their hearts and judge them based on what they reasonably could have known and their actions based on that.

Therefore, to say that God looks into the heart does not mean that he merely looks to a person’s feelings or disposition. Rather, as Scripture says, we will be judged by our deeds (see Rom 2:6-11). Did our actions correspond to what we knew was expected of us or not?

Thus, the degree of a person’s knowledge of God’s will and his obedience to that knowledge in deeds will be key on the Day of Judgment. This does not mean all non-Catholics and other nonbelievers simply get a pass. Their ignorance of full Catholic teaching must be what is called “invincible ignorance,” meaning a lack of knowledge that they could not reasonably overcome. Thus, if one is lazy or makes excuses when seeking the truth, God will take it into account.

Since the Lord alone sees into our heart, he alone will be our just judge.

[Elsie]

I say again there is a point where the dust should be brushed away and move on to the next town.

Are you there yet?

[Resettozero]

That requires mind-manipulation upon the subject by a person intent on manipulation to distort.

[Elsie]

“By this translation, the Scriptures have become vulgar, and they are more available to lay, and even to women who can read, than they were to learned scholars, who have a high intelligence. So the pearl of the gospel is scattered and trodden underfoot by swine.”

Good thing that TRUMP didn't say this!

[metmom]

If we follow Christ, we will follow the Church he founded.

No. Not so.

If we follow Christ, we follow Christ.

There is no requirement in Scripture that the individual believer must follow some earthly organization that fancies itself to be Christ's true church here on the earth.

I for one would never follow a church that allowed so much immorality and corruption to exist within it for so long with no serious attempts to purge the evil from it as commanded by God in Scripture, the very Scripture that the Catholic church itself claims it wrote.

What I choose is to follow Christ, not men.

[Salvation]

You cannot put ALL Catholics into one category like that.

[Elsie]

I was told that the average lay person could not understand it themselves and that it was for the seminary trained, educated clergy to read it and tell us what it means.

Interesting; since Rome saw fit to KEEP these verses in the Book it assembled:

NIV Luke 24:44-47
44. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
45. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
46. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47. and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 

NIV 2 Corinthians 1:13-14
13. For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that,
14. as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.

 

 

[metmom]

Involved?

It’s a direct hit piece on non-Catholics, about, hypocritically, judging us, when they, almost without fail, constantly tell us to *Judge no lest you be judged*.

And then they write their opinion about how we are to be judged?

Their agreeing with it is the evidence that they are doing the very thing they demand we don’t do to them.

[metmom]

The first founded Church ,the RCC, holds that in it is the fullness of Christ’s church.

Prove it. And define what you mean as *fullness of Christ's church.

What is that? Catholicism as it's practiced today?

Show me that from the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

[WrightWings]

"When I was raised Catholic, not all that long ago, I was taught that I should not a read the Bible.

I was told that the average lay person could not understand it themselves and that it was for the seminary trained, educated clergy to read it and tell us what it means.

And I KNOW that I am not the only one who was told that and remembers it."

Please show me the Official Catholic teaching for this. Or are you projecting *your* beliefs as those of the Roman Catholic Church? (You probably shouldn't answer, as you'll only make a fool of yourself)

[ealgeone]

You cannot put ALL Catholics into one category like that.

Yet the irony of you posting a thread titled Judging non-catholics is not lost on the readers.

[MHGinTN]

The CHURCH Jesus founded is the body of ALL believers in HIM as The One God has sent for our salvation. It is not the man-made institutional church of Rome, or Methodism or Baptism or Presbyterianism, etc.

Your fidelity to the Roman Catholic sacraments will not gain you Heaven because the priesthood cannot give GOD's LIFE to you, ONLY GOD can do that. And He does not Grace folks because of their works, only their FAITH, as in faithing in Jesus as their Savior, a Savior Who requires no works from you to earn HIS GRACE.

[Elsie]

You need to explain how this is not blatant hypocrisy, Sal.

---

 

 

 1 ELSIE 17:1-10

 

1 Now the Catholics gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at FreeRepublic, which belongs to Jim; they encamped EVERYWHERE, in Rome and all her outposts.  2 And them Prots and the men of Wittenberg were gathered together, and they also encamped in the pages of FR, and drew up in battle array against the Catholics.  3 The Catholics stood on Rome's teachings on one side, and Prots stood on Biblical truth on the other side, with a great rift between them.

 

4 And a champion(?) went out from the camp of the Catholics, named Vlad, from The Land of Whining, whose height was probably similar to Lord Farquaad.  5 He had a Brown Scapula around his neck, and he was armed with all sorts of Sacrements, and the weight of the Sacrements was quite burdensome.  6 And he had bronze armor on his legs (to protect from Prot ankle biters) and a loop of beads between his fingers.  7 Now the beads were to remind him of many teachings, and his iron spearhead; though a bit rusty; was to prod the Prots with - if one of them ever DARED to get near - and Mother of Mercy went before him. 

 

8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Luther, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Catholic, and you the servants of just words on paper? Choose a man (or a woman named cow) for yourselves, and let him (spit!) come down to me.  9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”  10 And the Catholic said, “I defy the armies of LUTHER this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

[metmom]

Why do you keep changing the subject?

It’s not about Catholics but about the Catholic church telling Catholics that they shouldn’t read the Bible because they can’t understand it.

[Elsie]

Can’t you just make these posts “caucus” so they aren’t taken over by people who come from a different perspective.

Sure, but instead of you replying to a #122 post; you'd; at best; be replying to a #12 one.

[Elsie]

I was never told not to read the Bible.

Was it ever implied that you should not try to UNDERSTAND the bible on your own?

[MHGinTN]

We got that from the Mormons a lot, remember? And they were fond of telling us we hated them because we were warning them they were in a cult. And the Mormons ... oh, never mind, rational exchanges are not the highlight of these set-up threads; perhaps ‘victimhood’ is also a type we saw in Mormonism.

[Resettozero]

(You probably shouldn't answer, as you'll only make a fool of yourself)

What an arrogant prick you must be.

[Elsie]

For centuries the whole Christian world followed the Roman church.

Then explain just HOW those 7 Catholic churches in ASIA were teaching error; even BEFORE the last book in the bible was written?

[metmom]

I posted it upthread.

[Elsie]

A cursory reading of Acts and the history of the church in the 1st century would suggest otherwise.

Didn't the ruling class of the Catholic Church write a LETTER or something???

Acts 15

The Council at Jerusalem

 ¹ Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

 ⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses."

 ⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

 ¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

 ¹⁶ "'After this I will return
   and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
   and I will restore it,
¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
   even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things'
 ¹⁸ things known from long ago.

 ¹⁹ "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers

 ²² Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

   The apostles and elders, your brothers,

   To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

   Greetings.

 ²⁴ We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ²⁵ So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— ²⁶ men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹ You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

   Farewell.

 ³⁰ So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹ The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³² Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. ^{[34] 35} But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

 ³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.