So you have a brother who was baptised as a baby and he never went to church but he became a muslim when he was twenty and he prays three times a day and he fasts in ramadam and he has been a pilgrim to mecca and he has been a faithful muslim fot fifty years. And then if some one says i didnt know your brother was a muslim you say hes not hes a catholic. Does that make any sense at all to any one???
To illustrate further, if someone like Justin Trudeau were to call himself a Catholic, I would likewise likely protest that he is not actually a Catholic, as he clearly doesn’t believe in Catholic teachings. In the sense that he does have the indelible mark of baptism I would acknowledge that he is a Catholic though.
I understand this point.
Its not imprecsise. Its very accurate. Hes not a catholic and he is a muslim. A muslim is some one who practices the muslim faith. A catholic is some one who practices the catholic faith. ‘Hes not a proper catholic’ makes no sense. Some one either is or they arent. Saying they were baptised when they had no choice and then saying therefore theyre catholic but they dont practice the faith so theyre not really a proper catholic makes less sense.
Yes, but the OP is asking on a Catholic forum because she wants Catholic guidance for how she should respond to a situation where her brother IS Catholic. As far as what the brother thinks and feels doesn’t change the supernatural grace that was given to him in baptism. Once baptized Catholic, you are Catholic. You can stop practicing but the indelible mark is always there.
Correct. As Catholics we are required to marry in a Catholic wedding, in front of a Catholic cleric, with two witnesses, and a ceremony in proper liturgical form.
Probably not but if he was baptized Catholic, he is. Just not practicing.
It’s not a matter of what people here on the forum think but what the Church says.
In some ways God is legalistic and other ways not but HE IS A GREAT GOD.
There is a God, He does judge people at their death and He is fair and equal to all, baptized or not.
And im a guitarrist. I just dont play the guitar. And my brothers a football player. But hes only ever played basketball. And my mum speaks french but she doesnt know any of the language.rosejmj:
Probably not but if he was baptized Catholic, he is. Just not practicing.
Canon law is based on Scripture and Tradition.
Really? You think He would expect less from someone who had been given more?
Because Baptism still confirms the sacramental grace. To the extent that that infant did not get the proper instructions from parents while growing up, or whatever the case may be, his blame could be reduced. All mitigating and aggravating circumstances are taken into account in our particular judgements.
He would also have lacked the sacramental grace as a child growing up. How this would have played out in his life only God knows. It is true that validity of the marriage wouldn’t have been an issue, but as it stands it is.
Probably the greatest reason to attend.
I think that’s a misunderstanding of things. Exorcists will tell you that the Devil is legalistic while God is not. Legalism implies a rigid judgement based strictly on how one adhered to rules exteriorly, with no allowances for personal disposition, extenuating circumstances, etc. Basically, it’s the judgement of a bureaucracy. The bureaucrat looks at a checklist, and goes, if x, do y.
So, the best way to look at it, is that God is our Father and just like any parent, He wants the best for us, so He gives us rules to live by. Sometimes we do not understand the why’s but just trust in His goodness. We also know that He is always there with His love and forgiveness when we fail.