The Irish standard., 1890-09-20
REWARD AFTER DEATH,
The Chances OF Salvation for the
Heathen.

The Chances OF Salvation for the
Heathen.
Mgr. de Concilo Corrscts an Opinion
Expressed by Lay man and Gives thu
True Catholic View OF tho Matter.
Mgr. De Conci1o in communicate on
to the New York Sun" on Future Pro.
baton says In q recent issue Of your
paper in an article wherein Catholic
1ayman purports to explain the Catholic
view~as to the chance of salvation fol-
the heathen, find an opinion which is
| wholly contrary to Catholic doctrine,
and never for moment taught either
by the Church or by Catholic theolo-
gians. It is expressed by the writer al
follows:
''Second probation of the heathen in
the other world to come has been the
subject OF much discussion. Many peo-
pie would like to learn what is believed
in the Catholic Church about part of
the subject, irrespective of the other,
of future probation implied as false by
her contrary doctrine that probation
for all mankind is in this life only
The church has no positive definite
teaching in regard to the chances for
salvation Of the heathen. The nearest
we can come to it IS to ascertain the ac-
ceptable dotcrinal opinion held by
learned Catholic theologians on
the matter. The Church does teach
that the transcendent reward aud hap
piness in heaven will bs the ''beatific
vision" that is, to see God face to face
and know Him, and that it can be at-
tained only by souls free from tha
deilement of all sin, whether original,
or pcst-baptismal. Bnt this does not
exclude the reasonal belief that aside
! from purgatory, which will cease to
exist after the final Judgment, the just
ics of God has provided for souls
which have neither earned heaven or
deserved hell, state Of everlasting,
lesser, and lower bliss. It is reasonable
to believe that consistently with divine
justice, heathens who have died with
out opportunity to hear and accept the
not be punished eternally for
an unbelief which, for want
of light, it was wholly out of
their power to remedy, and in which
they have not been guiltily obstinate.
All such who, according to their con-
science, have kept the natural law, OF
which men in state of nature have
more or less perception or wit, not to
kill, not TO steal, not to lie, not to do
to others what they would not like to
have done to themselves; who have
adored g. Superior Being, and acknowl-
edged their dependence on Him, ac-
cording to the best light they had,
such will find their reward after death
in an everlasting abode and state OF
beatitude adapted to their unregenera.
ted and not supernaturally elevated
natures. It is not reasonable to
suppose that if God, as St. Paul tells
us, "winked" at the unconcious
idolatry and error of the Cen.
tiles whom the great Apostle
had begun TO convert, and who in time
came into the fold, that His mercy will
not be less toward more distant and
less accessible pagans to whom light
and opportunity were to come, if ever,
many centuries later. |
cit is the opinion of St. Thomas,
which is the common one in the Church,
that there is limbo for infants dying
without baptism, "where they know
and love God by the Of their nat
ural powers, and have full atural hap
piness." Their case has analogy with
that of heathens sitting in spiritual
darkness. They have been deprived of
baptism through no fault of theirs.
"The motives for continuing to labor
persistently and strenuously for the
conversion of heathendom are, there
fore, from Catholic standpoint,
plainly these:
''It is the Divine command to the
Church and for the extension Of Gods
kingdom.
''There is aced within the reach of
tho heathen, by q knowledge Of Chris
tian truth and through conversion,
supernatural elevation of his nature
and an attainment Of special graces,
obtainable by no other means, leading
him to the p, actice Of Christian vir-
tues, even heroic ones. He may, per-
haps, earn the crown of m srtyrdom.
The increase of knowledge which he
gets from the revealed law enables
him to conform better and more COM
pletely than before to the natural law.
He can acquire very superior civili-
zation If he chooses to accept it. A
transcendal reward after death, "the
essential bliss Of angels and men," may
be his, if, after being enlightened, he
will work to earn it."
This view of the Catholic layman is
not in conformity with Catholic doc
trlne. Catholic teaching, as the final
lot of those who died after reaching the
use of reason, admits only two states
the supernatural or beatifc vision of
God, or the eternal loss of that vision
and bliss. 1t admits no middle state,
no abode and state of beatitude adapted
to any unregenerated and not super
naturally elevated nature. Either
heaven as the beatifc vision and pos
session of God, or hell Reflect, we are
speaking of those who died after having
reached 4 e age of reason.
You may ask: "But what becomes Of
those heathens mentioned by the lay
men g. I will give you the real Catho-
lie doctrine, as expounded by Perrones
and St. Thomas. ''To heathens are
granted certain graces called individ-
ual, by the aid of which they are en-
abled to fulfil the natural law, and to
overcome those difficulties which may
be in the way of its observance. These ,
works, however, are within the circle !;
of natural and moral righteousness !.
However, if heathens avail themselves
- o:l lo -.;- l.,