Not meaning to judge anyone. Just concerned about the destination of the souls of two people that I care about dearly.
CCC 846-848 said:
Worrying about this, is understandable but there is not a ton you can directly do about it. It is ultimately about them and God.
Not just for being Protestants, no. Protestants like them are what is termed “material heretics.” That is, their being heretical is not their fault, so they are not culpable for it. I assume they were brought up Protestant. If so, they know no other form of Christianity and have no good reason, at this point in their lives, to change that. Yes? Then they are considered, because of their baptisms, to be imperfectly joined to the Church. They are joined to Christ because of their baptism and their belief in him. They may be more likely to go to heaven than many a Catholic who has abandoned his faith for the world, for our baptism must be lived out and not taken for granted. I hope that helps.
The Catholic Church does not teach that Heaven is only for Catholics.
Just saw your post after I posted mine. Thank you for your response.
I was raised by a Protestant mother. She believed that she could pray and confess her sins directly to God to ask for and receive forgiveness. Even though a Protestant doesn’t have the Sacraments, God knows what is in their hearts.
God can work his grace in people’s lives outside the sacraments, which applies to Protestants and non-Christians most particularly. We Catholics are bound by the sacraments, therefore we must take advantage of them by canon law. We get the blessing of the sacraments that others do not receive–this is our joy. It’s why we want others to have what we have. But God can and does work outside of the sacraments since he alone has that authority. This does not mean that it wouldn’t be better for your loved ones to be in the Church–they are missing out on the blessings and graces of the sacraments by not being able to partake of them. This may make it harder for them to be open to receiving the graces God wants them to have–ones that help us to salvation. In the end, only God can determine who is worthy of eternal life with him.
If they are truly sorry for their sins because they have offended God, then God can work outside the sacraments and forgive them. They would have to have perfect contrition which is sorry for sin because it separated them from their Father out of their love for him. If their only intention is because they are afraid of hell and their hearts are still far from God, then they have imperfect contrition and that is a problem for them if their sins are deadly and God will know their hearts. The sacrament of confession wipes away sins be they perfect contrition or imperfect contrition and gives them the graces needed to steer away from the sins that cause them to fall into mortal sin. What a gift we have been given!
Yes, and had she actually known that the sacrament of reconciliation was good and necessary she no doubt would have made provision to acquire this sacrament. The fact that she didn’t know that reconciliation is good and necessary is not her fault. Remember, God is a judge, not a trap! Blessings!