What’s the point in being a Catholic?

[EZweber]

This caveat doesn’t change the fact that those people are not guaranteed Heaven. Being benevolent and generous are both positive, holy attributes, but are not salvific in an of themselves. Neither of those things impart the same grace as the Eucharist, and neither of them forgive sins like confession.

No matter what, without those two things, it gets a lot harder to achieve salvation.

You’re still looking at it wrong though. We aren’t Catholic explicitly because we benefit from it. We are Catholic because God wants us to be.

We may still hope that through God’s mercy that they may attain the Beatific Vision. I agree that we should be Catholic out of love of God, but this can be a starting point. Not the best one though.

 

[EZweber]

But that’s what I’m getting at.
Thanks for answering, if everyone gets a chance to go to heaven no matter what, then why should I care to be Catholic and follow these extra rules?

It is also believed that some saints, while as joyful as possible, are not as joyful as those who have loved more.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

Because those “extra rules” as you call them, are the normative means of salvaiton.

You’re treating a 1% chance of getting into Heaven and a 99% chance of getting into Heaven as equal things. They aren’t, not even close.

A good non-Catholic Christian trying to live according to God’s will has a chance of making it to Heaven.

A good Catholic living a holy life according to the teachings of the Church has a high likelihood of making it to Heaven.

Do you really want to risk your eternal reward just because the surer route asks more of you?

 

[Lavenderson]

What’s my incentive to be Catholic?

There is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church.

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

The death and resurrection of our Lord becomes trivial if good moral character is all you needed to become worthy of heaven. This has been discussed and answered at length for centuries. Also, only God can see the true moral character of someone.

What’s my reward for following Christ on earth?

Probably not the right way to look at this issue. Through sin, it’s like you’ve fallen into quicksand and sinking fast. Our Lord through his death and resurrection is sticking out his hand for you to grab before you go under. Your “reward” for grabbing his hand is obvious.

Pray the rosary and contemplate the mysteries. When you realize what our Lord went through to save us, it might change how you approach this.

God love you.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

You should read about their lives.

I’ve seen few people as joyful as the saints who live loving God. Even those who suffered greatly exuded joy and peace far greater than anything a worldly person has ever come close to.

 

[TMC]

But that’s what I’m getting at.
Thanks for answering, if everyone gets a chance to go to heaven no matter what, then why should I care to be Catholic and follow these extra rules?

I think that has been answered several times. Its not a transaction. If you are looking for a good rate of return, buy a mutual fund.

The point of living properly, morally, lovingly is not to buy a better future. Its to live a proper present. If that makes no sense to you, then I fear you are missing the entire point.

 

[PennyinCanada]

I remember us kids looked forward to being old enough to drive a car and to having this freedom of a driver’s license. We had serious envy of the older kids who could take the family car and go with friends to a movie.

When we were old enough there was a driving handbook to study, a place across town to write your test. Driver’s Ed classes to go to. At some point, behind the wheel. Exciting times! Maybe not too long from then, actually going out on the road with a driver in the passenger side. With all the other cars! Why did we need to go through all that to drive? Because we are sharing the road with a million other people. People who have families, are parents, are little, who are important to their families and their communities.

This parallels the Catholic church in many ways. We have a handbook we call the bible. We have teachers and instructors to apply the Christian principles to our daily lives. Why? Because we are sharing this planet with a million other people.

When a driver decides that stopping at stop signs really cramps their style, when waiting their turn at a yield is a pain in the neck, when the speed limit is stupid and doesn’t make any sense, you know trouble is going to happen, and likely some innocent people are going to be a part of the wreck they are going to cause. Never mind that there are times when maybe the roads are slippery, visibility is poor, maybe the car gets a flat. Things can go sideways even when we do our best. So it is with Christianity and the nation. When people, who actually are enjoying what Christianity has built, start to feel like ‘these rules are stupid’ and ‘they really are holding me back’, well, there is a slow motion wreck in the process.

We see this today in our culture. Take one example, sexually transmitted diseases. There is an epidemic of STDs, in the amount of people who are infected plus the types of diseases that have taken off. This is not good for individuals, it’s not good for a nation. Should we look at unplanned pregnancies for the unmarried? Teen pregnancies, abortions, women living below the poverty line with the partner long gone. Broken hearts. This is not good for the individual nor is it good for a nation. This is the wreck we can see with our own eyes today because more and more people are abandoning what God’s plan is for sexuality, for marriage and for family life.

 

[Pug]

…if everyone gets a chance to go to heaven no matter what, then why should I care to be Catholic and follow these extra rules?

From a believer’s standpoint, they care because they love God and wish to live a life with him in it.

From a non-believer’s standpoint, if they care about truth, and also come to realize God is real and Christianity is true, then they will naturally follow it because they want to live in truth. But if they do not realize it is true, then they are not going to want to be Christian. Things seen as untrue don’t hold any appeal.

 

[po18guy]

My advice: It has nothing - zip, zero, nada, to do with who lives an exemplary life. Do not look left and right at your peers. They are sinners just as you are.

Look up! Up to the perfection of the eternal God Who desires so greatly that you spend eternity with Him that He gave His Son as a ransom for our pathetic souls.

There are 1.2 billion reasons not to remain Catholic. There is only one reason to stay:

Jesus Christ.

It has everything - both in time and in eternity - to do with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - present (only to Catholics and Some Eastern Churches) via the Holy Eucharist.

I am guessing that you do not spend time before our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. You may even have trouble believing what appears to be bread is our Lord in Sacramental form.

My suggestion: Go to adoration and spend time with our Lord. Tell Him your problems, doubts, fears. Then, be as patient with Him as He has been with you.

And when you are aware that He is there, you will be changed. You will be home. Doubt and confusion melt away.

 

[AlmaRedemptorisMater]

As Pope said you are free to start your own church. Don’t like it? There’s the door.

 

[Vico]

…What’s my incentive to be Catholic?
… Do I get a golden chair in heaven? A tiara or crown? Anything special at all? Or am I “just” another one? Do I mean anything?
… Going to Heaven makes me happy, because there, I will be loved by other people and God. I would feel like I belong.
What do you think?

We cannot be certain of our final penitence. With the sacraments, being Catholic provides a better way to remain in a state of sanctifying grace. When in a state of sanctifying grace it is possible to merit. In heaven, merit from our lives amounts to greater glory, a greater Beatific Vision. The Catholic Church also provides indulgences that will help with our elimination of temporal punishments in case death occurs with remaining attachments to sin, yet there is a state of sanctifying grace. Even if one were to go to hell avoiding demerits from sin would result in less suffering there.

Council of Florence Ecumenical XVII, From the Bull “Laetentur coeli,” July 6, 1439, De novissimis

It has likewise defined, that, if those truly penitent have departed in the love of God, before they have made satisfaction by the worthy fruits of penance for sins of commission and omission, the souls of these are cleansed after death by purgatorial punishments; and so that they may be released from punishments of this kind, the suffrages of the living faithful are of advantage to them, namely, the sacrifices of Masses, prayers, and almsgiving, and other works of piety, which are customarily performed by the faithful for other faithful according to the institutions of the Church. And that the souls of those, who after the reception of baptism have incurred no stain of sin at all, and also those, who after the contraction of the stain of sin whether in their bodies, or when released from the same bodies, as we have said before, are purged, are immediately received into heaven, and see clearly the one and triune God Himself just as He is, yet according to the diversity of merits, one more perfectly than another. Moreover, the souls of those who depart in actual mortal sin or in original sin only, descend immediately into hell but to undergo punishments of different kinds.

 

[_ServusDomini]

I dunno…God asked us to follow him as disciples, who followed the leadership of the Apostles…in short, the early Catholic Church. So God wants us to be Catholic. Yeah, he loves us whether we’re Catholic or not, but if you love him, why would you avoid the very church that you know he wishes for you to be a part of?

 

[Neithan]

^ yes — because in the church we are given the Holy Spirit through Christ. That is our reward, here and now. The kingdom of God is living in grace and communion with Him (or Elohim, since God is a co-eternal trinity of Divine Persons). Heaven is the fullness of glory borne from a life of grace, and in this life is the seed of our sanctification. This is heavy on metaphor, because now we see only “in a dim mirror” as St. Paul said. You might “get into Heaven” at the end of your days; but now is your opportunity to grow in holiness and your capax dei or capacity for God, and to cooperate in the divine will for the communion of saints.

Basically, holiness is its own reward, the fullness of life — to use a secular term, though it falls short of the total meaning: complete self-actualization.

 

[steve-b]

God Bless you all for helping me understand! I’m immensely grateful to you all for helping me see a better picture.

I’m Catholic. Born and raised. But lately, I’ve been wondering. What’s my incentive to be Catholic?

I see non Catholics live FANTASTIC lives. If God loves everyone equal, then if a non catholic does good, but refuses to believe, even HE goes to heaven.

That is no given.

OurGodisWithUS:

What’s my reward for following Christ on earth? Do I get a golden chair in heaven? A tiara or crown? Anything special at all? Or am I “just” another one? Do I mean anything?

Did you not see Jesus description of the alternative?

OurGodisWithUs:

I think some people are missing my point regarding the almsgiving example. I talking about life from a Hedonistic point of view. I believe that we are all Hedonists to a certain extent. For example, I am not a Satanic Worshipper or a Satanist, because I don’t want to go to hell.

Your point is Valid but it’s imperfect reasoning

OurGodisWithUs:

But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with concept of goin to Hell per se.

Really? From who’s viewpoint?

OurGodisWithUs:

It is the SUFFERING, the TORTURE, and everything that takes happiness away from me, that makes me despise Hell. Going to Heaven makes me happy, because there, I will be loved by other people and God. I would feel like I belong.
What do you think?

My exaggeration, is to suggest a different focus, and different emphasis. This is about Him not us.

Therefore,

The point of being Catholic is

1. We love Jesus because He lived His life here, suffered, died, for our salvation
2. Out of obedience of our faith in Him, we belong to and remain in, the only Church Jesus established, the Catholic Church
3. We partake in the sacraments HE established for our salvation
4. As LORD we obey everything Jesus taught. And His prayer was our perfect unity HERE
5. And we are to avoid the consequence , Paul warned us of, about those who cause Division / dissension διχοστασίαι, That same Greek word is used in both the following passages Rm 16:17-21 & Gal 5:19-21 IOW one who leaves or remains in division from Our Lord’s Church, the Catholic Church and won’t remain or return, they will not inherit heaven. That is NOT FROM ME, it is from Paul.

etc

etc

etc

Just a few thoughts