According to Catholicism, what must one believe and do to be saved?

[Beth77]

Thanks in advance.

 

[d taylor]

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What does the pope say a person must do to receive eternal life.

 

[Beth77]

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What does the pope say a person must do to receive eternal life.

I don't know but I'm sure this question has been previously addressed and so perhaps someone can share a link?

 

[concretecamper]

Be in a State of Grace when you die.

 

[chevyontheriver]

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What does the pope say a person must do to receive eternal life.

The pope, if he were thoughtful, might refer you to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thanks in advance.

Are you looking for the bare bones minimum?

 

[Beth77]

Are you looking for the bare bones minimum?

I guess I'm hoping that the Catholic teaching is simple enough for a barely educated country girl like me to understand.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Thanks in advance.

What must I do to be saved?

What does the Catholic Church teach about how a person gets to Heaven?

aleteia.org

 

[Beth77]

What must I do to be saved?

What does the Catholic Church teach about how a person gets to Heaven?

aleteia.org

Thanks. From the article:

Faith alone will not save a person. To attain salvation, a person must, in response to God’s grace, fulfill the following: believe in God, put his faith in Jesus, repent of his sins, be baptized, remain within the fold of the Church, hope in God, persevere in charity, and finally, die in a state of grace.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I guess I'm hoping that the Catholic teaching is simple enough for a barely educated country girl like me to understand.

There is a difference between bare bones minimalism and something a farm girl could understand.

Catholic teaching can be profoundly deep, the stuff that can satisfy intellectuals, or simple enough for people like you and I. Same religion, different perspectives.

 

[Beth77]

There is a difference between bare bones minimalism and something a farm girl could understand.

Catholic teaching can be profoundly deep, the stuff that can satisfy intellectuals, or simple enough for people like you and I. Same religion, different perspectives.

I'm guessing that Jesus doesn't require one to have a PHD in theology in order to pass the Heaven Entrance Exam.

 

[The Liturgist]

I'm guessing that Jesus doesn't require one to have a PHD in theology in order to pass the Heaven Entrance Exam.

That would be correct. As it happens I’m a clergyman, but not in the RCC, and sometimes because of my status as an intellectual I’ve caused colleagues to fear that I’m unable to communicate with the laity, but the ancient faith is very simple.

Also by the way in the Orthodox Church we believe that an infant or a mentally disabled person can be a theologian, since we define theology as direct knowledge of God from experience. I think the RCC has a similar understanding, at least some of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

 

[Beth77]

That would be correct. As it happens I’m a clergyman, but not in the RCC, and sometimes because of my status as an intellectual I’ve caused colleagues to fear that I’m unable to communicate with the laity, but the ancient faith is very simple.

Also by the way in the Orthodox Church we believe that an infant or a mentally disabled person can be a theologian, since we define theology as direct knowledge of God from experience. I think the RCC has a similar understanding, at least some of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

I once met a teenage girl with significant developmental issues and I gleaned that she may be more filled with the Holy Spirit than anyone I had ever met. I'm pretty sure that her theological understanding is about zero. I won't be surprised if she is God's governor of a great multitude in his Heavenly Kingdom.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

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What does the pope say a person must do to receive eternal life.

What the pope says?

How about what God says? God spoke, just read your Bible.

 

[d taylor]

What the pope says?

How about what God says? God spoke, just read your Bible.

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What kind of post is this. I already know what God's says and this thread is about Catholics. Since the pope is the head Catholic, it would be interesting if the pope was asked this how would he answer.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

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What kind of post is this. I already know what God's says and this thread is about Catholics. Since the pope is the head Catholic, it would be interesting if the pope was asked this how would he answer.

It's very worrying when people seek answers from pope and not from God.

Pope the head of catholic church...well that says it all

 

[d taylor]

It's very worrying when people seek answers from pope and not from God.

Pope the head of catholic church...well that says it all

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Well i think you need to find a Catholic to voice your objections

 

[The Liturgist]

I once met a teenage girl with significant developmental issues and I gleaned that she may be more filled with the Holy Spirit than anyone I had ever met. I'm pretty sure that her theological understanding is about zero. I won't be surprised if she is God's governor of a great multitude in his Heavenly Kingdom.

In Orthodox Christianity we would define someone like her as being a theologian, because being filled with the Holy Spirit is theology proper - it is direct experiential knowledge of God. What the West calls a theologian, we might call a scholar of theology, because you can learn about theology in a seminary or university, but you can’t obtain direct knowledge of God which it sounds like the girl you know has.

I’m blessed with intellectual abilities, but this gift from God is different from the more important gift He has given me in terms of theology, of knowledge of Him, in which I have also been blessed with some unique experiences that have been a great comfort to me.

Indeed sometimes my mind gets in the way of my religion, because as an engineer, I tend to think of worst-case scenarios and obsess over them a bit, even in non-engineering contexts, even where the worst-case scenario is not in an area of my life that I can control or use my mind to meaningfully do anything about, and as a result, I have to at times force myself to trust in God.

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

Thanks. From the article:

Faith alone will not save a person. To attain salvation, a person must, in response to God’s grace, fulfill the following: believe in God, put his faith in Jesus, repent of his sins, be baptized, remain within the fold of the Church, hope in God, persevere in charity, and finally, die in a state of grace.

I think this is on-point with what I understand from my discussions with my Catholic CF friends. In one memerable post, one Catholic said to another something on the order of, "Don't misrepresent Catholicism. We believe we can know that we have eternal life in the present. We just can't be sure we will have it in the end."

 

[fhansen]

Thanks in advance.

In simplest terms we must become connected to the Vine -and remain connected. This first happens as we turn to Him in faith and are baptized, formally entering His fold according to His command. Remaining connected is born out by how we live, picking up our cross daily and following Him-and producing good fruit in that process. It's to live the life of grace, the life of God by the Spirit, by virtue of communion with Him. And by this we become more like Him, we grow in love to put it best. And when we fail to love, if and when we sin, we can have a change of heart and confess that sin and return back to Him-and so continue to move onward and upward.

We'll be judged at the end of the day on our faith, hope, but most importantly on our love, the end-goal of it all, on how we've changed as we've invested our talents, the gifts we receive as the result of becoming His child-because it's also possible to leave His family, to return to the flesh, to let evil win out. It's a journey, a process and even a struggle and not merely a one-time event, a patient work of His that we must cooperate in as we grow more and more captivated by Him and His wisdom and will, by His love that permeates and governs all. It's all grace-all a gift-and our choice to embrace and express that gift-to get on board with God and His ways.