My teacher always discusses with me about Catholicism and Christianity and tell me "CATHOLICS should believe in God and do good deeds if they want to get "ETERNAL LIFE" . But Christians only believe in God if they want to get "ETERNAL LIFE". Do you think there are some problems ? I hope you can answer the following questions!
1. How can a Catholic get "ETERNAL LIFE" ?
2. How can a Christian get "ETERNAL LIFE" ?
3. Why does Catholicism have a "Sacrament of Reconciliation or
Penance" ?
4. Is the "Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance" efficacious ?
5. Why doesn't Christianity have "Sacrament of Reconciliation or
Penance" ?
6 If a bad person believes in God (CATHOLICISM) at last (before
he/she dies), may she/he get "ETERNAL LIFE" ?
7. If a bad person believes in God (CHRISTIANITY) at last (before
he/she dies), may she/he get "ETERNAL LIFE" ?
Dear Joey
Your questions are very good. It is great to see a young person like yourself taking your faith seriously and trying to understand it better.
Let me begin by saying two things:
- there is only one way of salvation, that is, of achieving eternal life, whether you are a Catholic Christian, a non-Catholic Christian or not a Christian at all
- there is no single way of explaining the Christian mysteries. This is because the things God does are far too wonderful for any human explanations to exhaust their significance. So we can look at them from different angles and give lots of partial explanations. Therefore what I am about to say is just one way of answering your questions; there are other good ways too (of course, the true explanations never contradict one another).
So here goes ...
QUESTIONS 1,2,6,7
We can only be saved (= attain eternal life) by faith (believing) in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Faith however is not just something we 'think' with our mind. Faith is a "clinging" of our whole being to the person of Christ: it means that we accept him completely as our Lord and Master, we trust completely in him, we act always the way he wants us to act ... and lots more. Otherwise, if I say I "believe" in Jesus but then act like he does not exist and what he says does not matter, I am only saying it with my lips - I'm not REALLY saying it with all my being, I'm just kidding myself.
Therefore Catholic AND non-Catholic Christians have to believe not just with their head but with their good works too! Just "good works" (without faith) or just "faith-from-the head" (without works) is not enough. St. Paul refers to faith in one place as "faith working through love" --as opposed to a 'dead' faith that does nothing at all.
Yes, I realize that non-Catholic Christians say that 'faith' is enough. Some of them are really thinking of an 'active' faith, and others are indeed thinking that it is enough to believe, or trust, that Jesus saves us and that is enough --without "doing" anything. But in practice you will see that sincere Christians, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, in actual fact ACT ACCORDING TO THEIR FAITH - and this is the faith that enables us to achieve eternal life.
How? Well, one way of putting it would be to say that that life is in God -in Christ- and by "clinging" to him (by faith) we are connected to the "dynamo" of eternal life and it "flows" through us too. And, conversely, if we are not thus connected, it does not, because it has no other source.
How about non-Christians? Well, when it is not their fault (and it usually isn't) that they are not Christians and don't know Jesus Christ, they too can "believe" in him -cling to him- without realizing it. You remember what Jesus will say on the last day to those awaiting judgement (see the gospel of Matthew, Chap.26): "Come, blessed of my Father, because when I was hungry you gave me to eat ... " etc. I'm sure you have seen non-Christians who are kind to others, always or almost always: without realizing it, what they do to "the least of their brothers, they do to Me (Jesus)". This is one of the ways that God makes them "cling to" that dynamo of eternal life that is Jesus, even though they themselves do not know it.
To put it in other words, anyone who through no fault of their own does not know Christ can be saved by being obedient to their conscience; by treating their fellow men as brothers and sisters, as Jesus taught us to do.
On the other hand, a Christian (Catholic or Protestant) who "believes" with their "head" only and, when Jesus ('hidden' in some poor person, or someone who is suffering, perhaps) was hungry or needed a kind word, ignored him, is in danger of hearing those terrible words: "Begone ... because I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat..."
A person who has been bad (Christian or not) but, before he or she dies, changes in their heart and decides (really) to no longer be selfish and hard-hearted, but to love others, will also be saved. However, personally, I wouldn't want to leave it till the last minute! We are very likely to die the way we have lived --loving self (only) or loving others.
QUESTIONS 3,4,5
When we get a hard heart (= when we sin), one that prefers ourself to God, really only God can cure that. He decided to do that through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Of course, he could have decided to do it some other way --and sometimes, he still does. However, this was the special way he offered us (see for example John 20,22-23). If we were to say "Hey, I don't like this way, I want to do it just directly with God" we would be like Naaman the Syrian (have you read that story, from the Old Testament? Check it out, in 2Kings 5,1-14), and besides we would be forgetting that God only saves us THROUGH CHRIST -whom the priest 'represents' or 'stands in for' in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Non-Catholic Christians generally do not understand that. God can help them be freed of their sins in other ways (since it is generally not their fault that they don't know it). However, we have the most sure way in the sacrament, and we Catholics should use that frequently.
Joey, I hope this helps. May God bless you and help you to grow in love for Christ --because that is the core of Christianity. Love for Christ is just another way of saying "faith working through love". He is the very best friend any of us can have, and the only one who will never, ever fail us.
God bless you, now and always!
Fr Brian Wilson LC