Time of Judgement QUESTION from Susan September 15, 2001 Praise God for this wonderful site. Recently and after a long time, I met a Catholic friend of mine who, I feel is very strong in his religious duties. While talking to him, some of his comment did disturb me and leave me confused. Dear Brother I need your clarification in this. He told me that it does not matter whether we are a Catholic or a Protestant. All that matters is that we live according to Jesus’ teachings. He also said that at the time of Judgement, God is not going to ask whether you are a Catholic or Protestant. If that is so true why marriage between Catholics and non Catholics discouraged by our Catholic Church. Afterall don’t we serve the one Living God.
My second clarification is that he told me that Christ did not form the Catholic Church. He only had disciples who formed it based on his teachings. Did not the other churches do the same?
Dear Brother, would be grateful if you could clarify the above for me. God Bless.
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on September 10, 2001 Dear Mrs. Susan:
Well, I am sorry to say that your friend is not much of a Catholic and in fact is thinking like a Protestant. The dogma of the faith is that there is NO salvation outside of the Catholic Church UNLESS one is in invinsible ignorance. Thus God says it matters.
If a person has knowledge of this dogma and chooses to not be a Catholic despite this teaching, then that person risks going to hell.
God wants the best for us, just like we want the best for our children. If we build a nice house for our children but our children choose to live in a shack, will it matter? Yes, it matters in that we wish our children to live in the nice house that we have built for them and we are sorrowed that our children have rejected that gift and the benefits that comes with that gift. We still love them and accept them and give them our inheritance, but it is sad that they reject the fullness of our love and gift that we give them.
God has given us His Church. He wants us to be a full member of that Church. God says it matters.
Second, Jesus is the personal founder of the Catholic Church. This is proved by Scripture and by history. Your friend is risking being a heretic. Pray for him.
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