Monday, March 4, 2013

Clear thinking

There could be a non Catholic in a remote village in Asia, who is uneducated .Of course he has not read Vatican Council II or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He does not know of Catholic theology and of philosophical reasoning.

If he was asked if he could physically see the dead in Heaven he would answer that they are not visible to him. Some question!?

Then it could be explained to him that some people who want to receive the Christian baptism of water, cannot do so because they die before it happens. They are now in Heaven and can he see them? He says he cannot.

Then it would be explained to him that the Catholic Church teaches that every one needs to be a visible member of the Church, to avoid Hell and to go to Heaven.

Though there are many Catholics who believe that every person in 2013 does not have to be a visible member of the Church. Why? Since there are people in Heaven without the baptism of water. Would you agree I would ask him? This is very important I would tell him. His answer would be appreciated.

No. He would say that he does not agree. Why? Since these people in Heaven are not visible to us with the naked eye. They cannot be exceptions to every one needing to be a visible member of the Catholic Church for salvation.


Only if they were visible to us, in the flesh,  would they be exceptions. Only if they were personally known they would be relevant. Invisible cases in Heaven cannot be exceptions.

So every one needs to be a visible member of the Catholic Church for salvation since there are no known exceptions.No visible to the human eye exceptions.


And so what if there are people in Heaven who have not received the baptism of water? They are invisible to us. So they are not relevant to the Catholic teaching that every one needs to be a visible member of the Church for salvation.


I would praise him on his clear thinking.
-Lionel Andrades