Can you help re: earning salvation and Holy Communion?

[Rusko]

I have two questions.
I am currenty attending a Lutheran School, though I am Catholic. I learned in religion class that faith alone is the only way that we can have salvation. I already knew about that fact and how all protestants believe in that. I also learned that a sinner cannot earn his own or anyone else’s salvation. Is it true that there is no possible way that a mortal can earn his own salvation, either by good works and deeds, or by suffering in purgertary or hell. And is there anyway that a mortal can suffer his complete punishment for sin (like going to hell) and still enter eternal salvation? Many of the Lutheran teachers disagreed with my opinion. I just personal believe that actually earning salvation is possible, though I don’t mean to go against the fact that Christ has already earned our salvaiton. I strongly believe that I should not, nor deserve to go to Heaven if my salvation and my sins were not earned by me, because whats the purpose in entering salvation when you did absolutly nothing to earn it.

For my second question. Is it a sin to recieve Holy Communion without fully studying the Doctrine? Because I have been attending the RCIA for almost a year, but then I left within the last month. That is because we have not been really focusing on that course, (due to Hurricane Katrina, which caused all of the volunteers that were leading the RCIA group to leave, causing them to not focus on the RCIA group and instead combing that group with the Youth Group.) Because of that, I have not really been learning anything about Catholic faith, which made me leave the group. But then, last Saturday, my friend Danial, recieved his sacraments and First Communion. What really upsets me is that we have not actually done anything within the RICA, but yet my friend recieved his first Communion, and the RICA directer would not allow me to recieve my first Communion, because I did not complete the process (even though there was no process!) Since then I have felt very betrayed and depressed, because I was really looking forward on recieving my first Communion. Now my question is, is there still ANY possible way that I can have my first communion within the next month. I really want to recieve this sacrament, and I feel like that my deep devotion and faith has been already enough to earn it. Im so upset and depressed that I could not recieve the Holy Communion, but I refuse of having to wait another year just to recieve it, because I already know enough about the Catholic Doctrine. Can you please help with my religous struggles.

Christian Nuschler
(Please excuse my spelling and grammer)

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi Christian,

First of all, talk to a priest about your RCIA situation. Have him quiz you about your knowledge of the Eucharist and Confession. Perhaps if you know enough, he can do something about having your make your first Holy Communion and Confession if you have already been baptized. However, you must NOT receive Holy Communion without permission. That would be a sin. Also, if you are already baptized, you must go to Confession first before receiving the Eucharist.

Now to the Lutheran thing. Catholics do NOT believe that they can earn their own or anybody else’s salvation. It is only by God’s grace that we can do that. On this we agree with the Lutherans. But there is the matter of temporal punishment due to our sins. For example: if I’m at my mother’s house and I take a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge and drop in on the floor. My mother will forgive me. So I am forgiven. But there is still the mess on the floor that my mother didn’t make. I owe her the reparation of cleaning up the mess. This is the equivelent of temporal punishment. This is what Purgatory does if we haven’t done it all by the time we die. By praying for others, we can help to clean their mess up sooner also.
You are in my prayers. You can contact me privately if your need to.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.