What is the official Catholic view of predestination?

[Hatikvah]

If you’d like to skip my confusion and backstory, my questioning will be in bold at the bottom.

I was reading one online page on the “Statement of Faith” of a popular Protestant apologetics website (carm.org), and I came across their section on “Divine Election,” by which I was fascinated. Here I will replicate that particular section:

God elects/chooses people for salvation. “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2 Thess. 2:13). And, “From all eternity God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,” (Eph. 1:4-5). And, “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” (Rom. 9:16).

I felt a little dubious on the situation, thinking that this was dabbling too closely into Reformed Calvinism (which seems to be a theological no-no for a great many). So I looked up the Catholic view on this, since Catholic doctrines are historically believed by God’s people, right?

I knew that St. Augustine of Hippo had an early form of the doctrine of predestination, but I’d also heard that the Catholic Church does not accept all of his teachings, with some being left out or being elaborated upon.

And I was a bit confused by the Wikipedia sub-article on the Catholic view. I also suppose that my prior view was more close to Arminianism prior to this new knowledge of sorts.

As stated in the title, what is the official Catholic view of predestination, and can you explain it?
Are there competing views within the (Catholic) Church?
And, lastly, how does the Catholic view compare to some others, particularly Calvinism?

I thank you all for reading this, and I especially thank those that replied. :clapping:

 

[pianistclare]

These links may be helpful.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=1153149&postcount=2

 

[po18guy]

1. Predestination: yes.
2. Double predestination: no.

Calvin, being a typically depressed and dour 16th century European, apparently did not read the Wisdom of Solomon, chapter 2, and therefore did not know that God does not create solely to destroy. Wisdom 2 also did not agree with his personal opinion that God will save you even if you sin repeatedly without repentance - a prime error of the reformation, and a prime error of sola scriptura. I note that such error is no cause for a 500 year celebration (in 2017) of being wrong.

As to Wisdom 2: A wonderful book, and chapter 2 has the absolute clearest view of the coming Christ and the mistreatment He would receive. It is worth reading over and over.

 

[Latinitas]

1. Predestination: yes.
2. Double predestination: no.

Calvin, being a typically depressed and dour 16th century European, apparently did not read the Wisdom of Solomon, chapter 2, and therefore did not know that God does not create solely to destroy. Wisdom 2 also did not agree with his personal opinion that God will save you even if you sin repeatedly without repentance - a prime error of the reformation, and a prime error of sola scriptura. I note that such error is no cause for a 500 year celebration (in 2017) of being wrong.

As to Wisdom 2: A wonderful book, and chapter 2 has the absolute clearest view of the coming Christ and the mistreatment He would receive. It is worth reading over and over.

Calvin’s views on predestination are actually a bit more complex. Calvinists do believe that God actively decreed reprobation, but they don’t believe that God works their sins. It would nice to be able to say that Catholic theologians unanimously reject this, but unfortunately, some of the Thomists (like John of St. Thomas, the Carmelites of Salamanca) do seem to approach this view in holding not only a positive decree of election, but also a positive decree of non-election. Thankfully, Gotti, Billuart, Garrigou-Lagrange and nearly all recent Thomists hold that reprobation is purely negative, that is to say, a permissive decree.

Benedicat Deus,
Latinitas

 

[Latinitas]

The Catholic Church holds the following concerning predestination:

1. Even in spite of men’s sins, God really wills the salvation of all men.
2. Nevertheless, God from all eternity, predestines some men to eternal salvation.
3. Reprobation, that is, predestination to damnation, is not absolute, but conditional, being based on the foreknowledge of men’s sins (absolute double predestination is rejected).
4. Predestination is immutable, that is, it cannot be changed.
5. Excepting private revelation, no one can know for certain whether or not he is predestined.
6. Predestination and grace do not do away with free will, and man is still required to use the necessary means of salvation (e.g. prayer, the sacraments, pious exercises) to attain salvation.

I hope this was helpful,

Benedicat Deus,
Latinitas

 

[exnihilo]

Are there competing views within the (Catholic) Church?

Yes, there are competing views. Predestination is a dogmatic truth, but how exactly that works is an open issue. The Domincans and Jesuits actually debated two different theological opinions. The Jesuits took the Molinist view and the Domincans a Thomistic view. After the debates the Pope said both could teach their theories and that they await a resolution from the Holy See. This was over 400 years ago and a resolution of the issue has still not been issued. As a convert I find this most interesting. The Catholic Church certainly teaches many dogmatic truths, but it has a surprising amount of freedom especially concerning details.

See Congregatio de Auxiliis for more information on this debate.

 

[RPRPsych]

1. Predestination: yes.
2. Double predestination: no.

Calvin, being a typically depressed and dour 16th century European, apparently did not read the Wisdom of Solomon, chapter 2, and therefore did not know that God does not create solely to destroy. Wisdom 2 also did not agree with his personal opinion that God will save you even if you sin repeatedly without repentance - a prime error of the reformation, and a prime error of sola scriptura. I note that such error is no cause for a 500 year celebration (in 2017) of being wrong.

As to Wisdom 2: A wonderful book, and chapter 2 has the absolute clearest view of the coming Christ and the mistreatment He would receive. It is worth reading over and over.

Not to mention that Wisdom 11:23 - 12: 2 more or less blows double predestination to smithereens.

 

[kdbueno]

Catholic predestination is based on the divine grace that God is love.

 

[Richca]

If you’d like to skip my confusion and backstory, my questioning will be in bold at the bottom.

I was reading one online page on the “Statement of Faith” of a popular Protestant apologetics website (carm.org), and I came across their section on “Divine Election,” by which I was fascinated. Here I will replicate that particular section:

I felt a little dubious on the situation, thinking that this was dabbling too closely into Reformed Calvinism (which seems to be a theological no-no for a great many). So I looked up the Catholic view on this, since Catholic doctrines are historically believed by God’s people, right?

I knew that St. Augustine of Hippo had an early form of the doctrine of predestination, but I’d also heard that the Catholic Church does not accept all of his teachings, with some being left out or being elaborated upon.

And I was a bit confused by the Wikipedia sub-article on the Catholic view. I also suppose that my prior view was more close to Arminianism prior to this new knowledge of sorts.

As stated in the title, what is the official Catholic view of predestination, and can you explain it?
Are there competing views within the (Catholic) Church?
And, lastly, how does the Catholic view compare to some others, particularly Calvinism?

I thank you all for reading this, and I especially thank those that replied. :clapping:

Concerning predestination, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states quite simply “To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of “predestination”, he includes in it each person’s free response to his grace” (#600).

Some truths authoritatively taught by the Church:

-God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4)

-We cannot be saved without God’s supernatural gift of grace which grace precedes all of our meritorious works as well as the beginning of our conversion. God gives sufficient grace for all men to be saved. Grace does not force our free will. We must freely respond to God’s gift of grace. By our free will which God gave us, we can resist or not resist God’s grace. At the same time, no theologian would deny that God can efficaciously move the free will of creatures without violating its freedom if he so chooses to do so such as the miraculous conversion of St Paul on the way to Damascus. St Paul however could have chosen to not respond to this miraculous event. Such efficacious graces (like miracles) Fr. William Most (see below) considers God’s extraordinary providence as contrasted with his ordinary providence in which God’s gift of grace can be freely resisted.

-God predestines no one to hell.

-Jesus Christ died for all human beings without exception even the sinless Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Jesus is the redeemer of all humanity.

The above truths are found in the CCC and other Church documents such as the decrees of ecumenical councils.

As the above quote from the CCC#600 states, in establishing his eternal plan of predestination, God includes in it each person’s free response to his grace. St Augustine said “God created us without us but he will not save us without us.”

An excellent work concerning predestination and its relation to grace, free will, and the universal salvific will of God as well as the history of the theological thought among the fathers of the Church, the doctors of the Church (especially St Thomas Aquinas), saints, and other theologians concerning predestination and related doctrines can be found in Fr. William Most’s book titled ‘Grace, Predestination, and the Salvific Will of God - New answers to Old Questions.’
The book can be read online here: catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/getwork.cfm?worknum=214

 

[Tomster]

If you’d like to skip my confusion and backstory, my questioning will be in bold at the bottom.

I was reading one online page on the “Statement of Faith” of a popular Protestant apologetics website (carm.org), and I came across their section on “Divine Election,” by which I was fascinated. Here I will replicate that particular section:

I felt a little dubious on the situation, thinking that this was dabbling too closely into Reformed Calvinism (which seems to be a theological no-no for a great many). So I looked up the Catholic view on this, since Catholic doctrines are historically believed by God’s people, right?

I knew that St. Augustine of Hippo had an early form of the doctrine of predestination, but I’d also heard that the Catholic Church does not accept all of his teachings, with some being left out or being elaborated upon.

And I was a bit confused by the Wikipedia sub-article on the Catholic view. I also suppose that my prior view was more close to Arminianism prior to this new knowledge of sorts.

As stated in the title, what is the official Catholic view of predestination, and can you explain it?
Are there competing views within the (Catholic) Church?
And, lastly, how does the Catholic view compare to some others, particularly Calvinism?

I thank you all for reading this, and I especially thank those that replied. :clapping:

A very good place to start would be the Baltimore Catechism.

Q. Why did God make us?
A. God made us to know, love and serve Him in this world so that we may be happy with Him in the next.

 

[NeuralMonk]

As stated in the title, what is the official Catholic view of predestination, and can you explain it?
Are there competing views within the (Catholic) Church?
And, lastly, how does the Catholic view compare to some others, particularly Calvinism?

Think of predestination as getting a ticket to ride the train. Baptism gives us the ticket and the other Sacraments help us keep the ticket clean and valid (and even get tickets for others), but the choice to keep the ticket before the train comes is our choice. You won’t know if you are going to use the ticket until the train arrives. Everyone has a ticket on reserve from God, just not everyone gets their ticket, but some try to draw their ticket in crayon.

This is the reason we ask Mary to pray for us in the hour of our death, that we will use the grace she dispenses to keep the ticket clean as we get on the train.

There are always competing views, but there is only one official view.

The answer to your last question is a broad question. You could have asked for an explanation of the differences within the entire genius of species… that would take less time to write.