Expert: Sal - 5/27/2004

Question
hello sal,
how does catholicism teach us to look at non-christians (specifically jews, hindus and athiests).  i go to a very liberal school and have made many friends of different beliefs, and though i trust that God will judge them and decide their eternal fate, i wonder if i'm being unchristian by not somehow trying to reach out to them.

please let me know if you can help me at all, or if there's somewhere else i can go.  thanks so much for your time on this.

Answer
Dear Jon:

The Catholic Church looks at non-Christians as people who are trying to find God. They are, therefore, related to Catholics. The Church looks at them as children of God that have been separated from the Father. Their religions are a mixture of truth and falsehood. “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions,” so proclaimed the Second Vatican Council. The fullness of the truth of God is available only in the Catholic Church. God will not reject those who are ignorant of this fact. If, on the other hand, someone knows that the Catholic Church was established by God for the salvation of the world yet stubbornly refuses to either remain or become a member of the Church, this person cannot be saved. God judges man based on what is in his heart. Those who are outside the Church, but still seek Him with a sincere heart will be saved.  The Second Vatican Council put it,

“Those who, by no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Jesus 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.”

This is nothing new. St. Paul stated basically the same thing in his Letter to the Romans.

“When Gentiles who do not have the law keep it as by instinct, these men although without the law serve as a law for themselves. They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts. Their conscience bears witness together with the law, and their thoughts will accuse or defend them on the day when, in accordance with the gospel I preach, God will pass judgment on the secrets of men through Jesus Christ” (2:14-16).

Catholic are given the right and duty to evangelize all people. However, not all people are called to be preachers. We all have different gifts from God. We must find out what that gift is and use it to build up the kingdom of God. Some evangelize through words and others through actions. Be a good Christian friend to non-Christians and you will be evangelizing them.

I hope that this was helpful to you. If I can be of further assistance please let me know.

God Bless You,
Sal