Can someone explain the Church's teaching on Predestination?

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DrDanno

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This is a topic that is worrisome and I have struggled to understand it. It seems that I have never had a clear teaching on this subject. Here is what I know or think I know.
  1. God wants all men to go to heaven.
  2. Christ died for the sins of every human that has lived or that will live.
  3. Even if you are not Catholic, but live a pure life you can be saved.
  4. Unfortunately not everyone will go to heaven.
  5. Double predestination is contrary to Catholic teaching.
So based on this it appears that if you are a good Catholic, you live your faith, you pray and speak to God often, and you choose to do the will of God, you can go to heaven. If you sin, and go to reconciliation, you may go to purgatory for a time. If you knowingly reject God and fail to do his will, you may go to Hell.

So, all are asked, but those that use their free will to do other than God’s will, may not go to heaven (my interpretation).

SO now things get fuzzy:
  1. God exists out side of time.
  2. He can see our entire life and the choices we make.
  3. Based on this for-knowledge I may be predestined for Heaven.
So I think it would be true that even if I am pre-destined and I choose to reject God or commit a mortal sin for which I choose not to repent, I may thwart that predestination and end up in Hell. Is that true?

Now my problem is if you are not pre-destined to go to Heaven and you live a virtuous life, do God’s will, live the Catholic Faith, pray often and repent of your sins - You could still go to Hell? What happened to Point 1 that God wanted all Humans to go to Heaven?

Am I missing something here? Am I misinterpreting the Church’s teaching on Predestination? Can someone explain it more clearly?
 
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