I was sitting the other day conversing with several other believers when I heard the question asked by one to the other if their parents were believers, to which the other replied, “No, their Catholic”. This statement makes me flinch every time and quickly look around to see if anyone was listening.
This mentality is all too common in evangelical circles, I’m afraid. A quick judgment made on someone else’s eternal destination. Didn’t Jesus have some strong words for the Pharisees for those that would judge others? Ah, yes, it was to the effect that to the measure you judge others, so you will be judged. Yeesh, now that’s tough to swallow, especially for me who has the tendency to be a non-grace giver.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think there are definitely ways that you can tell if someone is a follower of Christ. They bear the fruit of the spirit: peaceful, loving, kind, patient, joyful, self-controlled. But I don’t ever remember a line that Jesus slipped in there saying “Catholics shall not inherit the kingdom of God”.
I am no stranger to Catholicism, I grew up occasionally attending Mass with my grandmother and much of my mother’s family is still Catholic. I recently attended my cousin’s wedding, a Catholic ceremony, and was so encouraged by the words spoken of marriage and God’s design for marriage, by the priest that I was eager to get home to my own husband and make some changes. There are many Catholics that I know to have sincere faith. My aunt is one of those and exudes the love of Christ more than anyone I know. Now, I also know some Catholics that aren’t believers. But you know, I also know plenty of Evangelicals that would be quick to recite a tale of their 5 year old prayer for salvation, without a trace now of that same conviction and daily acknowledgment that they still need Christ.
Many would say that the Catholic faith is all about rituals and not about the heart. But I would say that can’t anything become that? Can’t we become so disconnected with our own worship that we come on a Sunday, sing a few stanzas of “How Great Thou Art” and leave for home still unchanged? Evangelicals, we are fooled if we believe that separating ourselves from the Catholic church and all their rituals safeguarded us against a spirit of apathy.
It is my prayer that the Church would develop a heart of humility in these matters. We believe that Christ came to ransom sinners, by paying a price that we could not pay and that through His sacrifice for us on the cross we again commune with the Father and spend eternity with him if we yield our lives to Him. This is where we hang our hat. This is what God qualifies as sincere faith. He is the Judge, not us.
Very well written and I agree.
good points jess! i would have to say though that catholicism in the states is very different than catholicism in europe, especially here in spain. in the states, you have a good chance at meeting many a catholic who are true followers of Christ. here however . . . the catholicism is so mixed in with idolatry and even ancient belief systems that it’s extremely rare (and unlikely) to meet a follower of Christ who is also catholic. don’t believe anyone who says europe has been reached because the catholic church is here. trust me. it hasn’t.