The Faith of One's Family

[PeteZaHut]

I have been at my freshmen year in college for about 3 weeks now. The experience has made me realize how much I love my family. Being without them for 3 weeks is hard enough. I can’t imagine losing one of them for good. I worry about some members of my family making it to heaven. They are all good people, but don’t necessarily follow all the rules of the church. What do I do?

 

[Nick9]

I am in a similar situation where family is concerned. I am the only Catholic or even Christian. I was advised by my moral theology lecturer that my role in their salvation is to be a good example and help form their consciences. Also, of course, to pray for them. My family are also ‘good people’ in that they help others and are law abiding and they also pray, so part of my hope is that God will make allowances for them not being Catholic. Vatican II (GS22) said that all people of good will are associated with the Paschal Mystery in a mysterious way and so there is hope for them and also for your own family.

 

[PeteZaHut]

Is the story of the paralytic who was lowered down to Jesus by his friends supposed to mean that the faith of one person can save others?

 

[Nick9]

Is the story of the paralytic who was lowered down to Jesus by his friends supposed to mean that the faith of one person can save others?

You could look at it that way. People save each other, or rather God saves people through each other’s faith inspired actions. I think that the person saved would also need faith, but maybe not explicit faith if they don’t know Jesus. I believe they can have implicit ‘faith’ in the *true and the good *by living according to their consciences and in some way be saved, according to Vatican II, but it is unclear to me how it works.

 

[Starwynd]

I’ve been taught all my life that only proper Christians go to heaven, no matter how good some people are.

But I don’t know what to think about that. It seems to be very mean spirited.

 

[Nick9]

I’ve been taught all my life that only proper Christians go to heaven, no matter how good some people are.

But I don’t know what to think about that. It seems to be very mean spirited.

Protestants teach that, but the Catholic Church teaches that grace is also available outside the visible Church for those who have some impediment to being a member of the Church sacramentally.

 

[Wildkit]

I have been at my freshmen year in college for about 3 weeks now. The experience has made me realize how much I love my family. Being without them for 3 weeks is hard enough. I can’t imagine losing one of them for good. I worry about some members of my family making it to heaven. They are all good people, but don’t necessarily follow all the rules of the church. What do I do?

Pete:

You are in my prayers along with my youngest son who is also a freshman this year, and I believe similar concerns, thoughts, and issues.

To combat or deal with the moral relativism we all encounter in our life, to simply speak the truth as has been given to us in scripture is what we need to do and live our life by.

In my 7th grade Faith Formation class which we began this AM, we touched on how our Lord told and appointed Ezekiel over the house of Israel. Ezekiel is even told in today’s first reading that he will be held accountable for their souls if he fails to speak out and try to correct them.

What does one do? Listen to the readings for the day!!

I personally enjoy:

www.Salvationhistory.com and its Sunday Morning understanding of the readings.

Be the example we can all be!! Actions speak louder than words!

You are in my prayers.

 

[vee8]

Pray and offer sacrifices up for your family. Offer up things such as your homesickness, or fasting for instance. Along with prayer sacrifices/sufferings can be used by God to help open people`s hearts to Him. By doing those things you dont have to feel helpless about their eternal fate either. Plus they work over any distance you dont have to be right there preaching to people:thumbsup:

Also everyone has a guardian angel and unbeknown to my family I often tell my angel to go give them a hug for me. I know this sounds silly because an angel is pure spirit with no mass so humans cant feel the presence but I still do it anyway.

 

[Newbie2]

I’ve been taught all my life that only proper Christians go to heaven, no matter how good some people are.

But I don’t know what to think about that. It seems to be very mean spirited.

It’s called “making your own bed and having to lie in it”. “Goodness” implies that one can earn heaven by being good, and one would have to be sinless to enter heaven on one own’s merit. That simply is impossible.

As to the OP, I’m there with you. Pray for them, and be the best student that you can be; don’t get distracted. God has plenty of mercy to go around to everyone.

 

[StarPaintedBlue]

I think St Francis said it the best: “Preach the Gospel cotiniously. When necessary, use words.”

My father is agnostic, but I’m planning on bringing him to Mass with me this weekend. When I turned back to my Faith last winter, I began seeing changes in him too. And now he sees how much Faith has helped me grow as a person, so he wants to go to Church to help step back from his anger issues.