Why does the Roman Catholic Church stress Gods justice rather than Gods mercy?
The Catholic Church certainly does not. If you hear a priest preaching on the subject of hell, you will naturally hear a discourse confined to that subject. But you will hear the same priest preach also on God’s mercy, again confining his discourse to that particular subject. And a right judgment will consist in balancing the two. It would be an excess to stress hell as if there were no mercy, and another excess to stress God’s mercy as if there were no possibility of hell. The Catholic Church teaches that God’s mercy is above all His works; that it is offered to everyone without exception; and that despair of salvation is forbidden by God to every human being, no matter how great and numerous his sins. No man is allowed to hope that he will secure salvation whether he repents or not of grave sins. That would be presumption. But God commands him to believe that, if he does repent sincerely of his sins, forgiveness is waiting.
Related Questions
- If the Catholic Church really honors the Bible as the holy Word of God--if she really wants her members to become familiar with its truth--why in times past did she confiscate and burn so many Bibles?
- Why is the Catholic Church opposed to birth control? Where in the Bible is birth control condemned as being contrary to the Will of God?
- How did the Roman Catholic Church tamper with the holy law of God?
