Expert: Sal - 1/18/2007

Question
Dear Sal,


                  Its your favorite questionair lol how are you doing. Its been awhile since I talked to you. I have a calling of coarse to be a nun like I said to you a year ago and I am called to become a saint. I am called to be like St. Paul and St. Patrick. Is it true that in the gosples Paul and other prophets said that Pagans are heathens to the lord? Because here is what the pagan priestess said to me :ask you...again...why you chose to come to a Pagan High Priestess with your questions instead of a Catholic counsel.  Do not make converting natural spiritualist to Christianity your life's work.  Anyone who thinks their religion is better than someone else's religion is committing the sin of pride, thinking they are better than someone else.  I respect Catholics...you in turn should respect Baptists, Muslims, Buddists, Wiccans, Jews...and Jewish people don't believe in Christ and are not Christians...you know that ...right? Are Jesus' own people hell bound, not being Christians? I took this to heart I was so upset that she said this about Jews. If it wasnt for them the old testement wouldnt be around. An the greeks wrote the new testement. Right? Do you think she is wrong for saying this. I have a mission in life to preach to people who do magic and sinful acts. She said that I have pride in my religion. I dont I was just telling her that what she is doing is just pure wrong. Am I doing what God hast told me to do? Am I doing righteous things? I just dont like pagans saying bad things about Jews there peaceful people God said blessed is he that blesses Israel and cursed is he that curses Israel. She still believes that Jesus was born and raised in turkey. An he wasnt he was raised in Galilee in Israel. Is she sinning a great deal and a hellbound. I know that she is breaking the 9th commandment that is to not bare false witness. I want to teach children and others about the goodness of Christ. to understand him and his love. I just feel like I am in a spiritual battle with the devil himself that he took control over this woman's life. I am fighting with st. Michael and you and I will win this battle together. God is on our side.


Answer
Dear Jacqueline:

All religions are not equal. Jesus said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6). He founded a religion not all religions. Only his religion is the True Religion. His religion is founded on the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter. His religion is the Catholic religion and no other. Jesus said, “If a man will not hear the Church, let him be as the heathen” (Matthew 18:17). In other words, excommunicate him. This hardly sounds like Jesus believing that all religions are equal. If one will not listen to the Catholic Church then he is outside of the truth. It is not wrong to say that the Catholic religion is better than all others. Just as Jesus, our Church’s founder, is greater than all other religions’ founders so we are greater then all man-made religions.

Catholics do have respect for other religions. They do all have some truth although it is mixed with much error. While we can respect the people who are ensnared by these false religions we must not consider them as being tolerable to God. God  founded a Church so that all people could belong to it.

Of course Jews can be saved. The Catholic Church has been very clear that just because one is Jewish does not mean that one is lost. In fact the Church teaches that all non-Catholics whether Protestant, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc still have the possibility of being saved even though they may be ignorant of Jesus and his church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says it beautifully,

“Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation” (#847).

Only one book of the New Testament was written by a Greek that was St. Luke’s Gospel. All the other books were by Jews. The New Testament was written in Greek, but not by Greeks.

Of course you are right and the “priestess” is wrong. She sounds like she despises the Catholic Church. I have been speaking with a Protestant who also despises the Church. Our Lord said to the first Catholic priests, “He who despises you despises me” (Luke 10:16). This “priestess” and the Protestant are in a bad situation. They could lose their souls because of their stubbornness. If they recognize that the Catholic Church is Christ’s Church, but still refuse to enter it because of their pride they will be lost. That is the teaching of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council (see Catechism #846).

You are right to try and help her see the truth of the Catholic religion. One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to instruct the ignorant. That is what we are both trying to do with the “priestess” and my Protestant friend. Do what you can for her and then let her alone. We can only plant seeds it is up to the Holy Spirit to water them. It is a very frustrating thing when someone is blinded by the Evil One. “Their unbelieving minds have been blinded by the god of the present age so that they do not see the splendor of the gospel showing forth the glory of Christ, the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Actually the 8th Commandment is to not bear false witness. The 9th is not covert your neighbor’s wife (see Catechism #2464ff).

God Bless You,
Sal