What is a special sign of predestination? (Catholic)
score:4
Part II, §4 "Synthesis," ch. IV "On the Certainly of Predestination," § "Signs of Predestination" of Fr. Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.'s Predestination: The Meaning of Predestination in Scripture and the Church says:
Signs of Predestination
Can we be certain in this life that we are predestined? In answer to this question the Council of Trent says: "No one, so long as he is in this mortal life, ought so far to presume as regards the secret mystery of divine predestination as to determine for certain that he is assuredly in the number of the predestinate; as if it were true that he who is justified either cannot sin any more, or, if he do sin, that he ought to promise himself an assured repentance. For, except by special revelation, it cannot be known whom God hath chosen unto Himself."14 The reason for this is because, without a special revelation, we cannot know for certain what depends solely upon God's free will. Not one of the just, unless it is specially revealed, knows whether he will persevere in the performance of good works and in prayer. We shall be, says St. Paul, "heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ; yet so, if we suffer [perseveringly] with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him."15
Are there, however, any signs of predestination such as to give one a sort of moral certainty of perseverance? The Fathers, especially John Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Bernard, and Anselm, according to certain statements of Holy Scripture, pointed out several signs of predestination often enumerated by the theologians as follows:
- a good life;
- the testimony of a conscience that is free from serious sins and prepared rather to die than offend God grievously;
- patience in adversities endured for the love of God;
- readiness to hear the word of God;
- compassion for the poor;
- love of one's enemies;
- humility;
- a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin whom we ask every day to pray for us at the hour of our death.
Among these signs, certain ones, such as Christian patience in adversity, are proof that the inequality of natural conditions is at times more than compensated by divine grace. This is borne out by the beatitudes as recorded in the Gospel: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, they that mourn, they that hunger and thirst after justice, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."16 These are the predestined. St. Thomas points out especially in his teaching that to bear patiently a heavy cross and for a long time is a sign of predestination.
Notes
14. Denz., no. 805 [=Council of Trent session 6, ch. 11]; cf. no. 826 [=Council of Trent session 6, canon 16].
15. Rom. 8: 17.
16. Matt. 5: 3–10.
Upvote:1
Devotion to the Mother of Jesus through the rosary "is" the great sign of predestination! We can not look for a tangible great sign here on earth since devotion to the rosary is the great sign in itself of our salvation.
Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly, reflecting on the mysteries, shall never be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life. - 15 Promises of the Rosary
A priest friend of mine once said about a non-Catholic praying the rosary daily that it in itself was a sign that she would eventually become a Catholic. She did.
One of the greatest means of salvation is devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The saints are unanimous in saying that, "A devout client of Mary shall never perish." St. Thomas Aquinas said that "many souls are now in Heaven, through the prayers of Mary, who otherwise would not be there." Mary Herself assures us in one of Her promises of the Rosary, to St. Dominic, "Devotion of My Rosary is a great sign of predestination." Devotion to Mary — A Great Sign of Predestination
More post
- 📝 In view of Mark 9:1 why say the kingdom of God will come at Jesus' second coming?
- 📝 When are the various assorted labels for Catholics - see body - applied and how are they related?
- 📝 Who determines church dedications?
- 📝 Are there any Early Church Fathers, Doctors of the Church or Catholic Saints who believed the world would possibly end by a comet hitting the earth?
- 📝 What are the teachings of Catholic Church on the implications of gender-change by individuals, in their life-after-life?
- 📝 How do "once saved, always saved" advocates explain the Parable about wise virgins?
- 📝 John's question in prison
- 📝 Were we to remain in the Garden of Paradise forever if Adam had not sinned?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the idea that creation will applaud the damnation of a sinner?
- 📝 What are the current guidelines for Jehovah's Witnesses regarding blood use in medical treatment?
- 📝 How do Trinitarians explain John 17:3?
- 📝 In two online Catholic Bibles, what accounts for the difference in the numbering of the verses in Sirach Chapter 7?
- 📝 Did Paul preach Jesus's message?
- 📝 Can protestant churches join the Eastern Orthodox Church?
- 📝 How do those who believe in a dual system (Old & New Covenant simultaneously operative) pre-70 AD understand "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"?
- 📝 Should a priest refuse communion to the inappropriately dressed woman when she approaches to receive it?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for a resistable enabling (prevenient) grace?
- 📝 Why do 21st century Protestants still not include the deuterocanonical books in the canon?
- 📝 According to the Catholic Church, why should we pray if God has already decided the best future for all of us?
- 📝 Did the Emperor Constantine ever present explanations for putting off his baptism?
- 📝 Malachi 4:6 vs Matthew 10:35: did Jesus come to reconcile parents and children or the reverse?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the Eastern Orthodox concept of Aerial toll houses?
- 📝 How do some denominations explain why they interpret the incidents with Elijah and Philip so differently?
- 📝 Who has the power to annul marriages in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 Which, in Catholic belief, is the higher form of prayer - the Lord's Prayer/Our Father, or the Eucharist?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the belief that there are humans in heaven now?
- 📝 (Jehovah's Witnesses) What reason(s) is there to actually love God?
- 📝 How do schisms in the church fit into the plans of a monotheistic God?
- 📝 What is the purpose of church discipline?
- 📝 Do Catholics consider Catholic Church as a heresy of the Orthodox church?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the special mediatorial position of the Pope, Cardinals, etc in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What is a special sign of predestination? (Catholic)
- 📝 What is the special significance of prayers said in a hushed voice by the celebrant during the Holy Mass of Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic understanding of Predestination and Freewill?
- 📝 What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Catholic apocrypha?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's main disagreements with the Catholic Church?
- 📝 According to theistic evolutionists, at what point did humans evolve enough to be considered special to God?
- 📝 At what point is a new soul created according to the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's answer to Nancy Pelosi's argument of a double standard between abortion and the death penalty?
- 📝 What are the steps to become Confirmed in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic teaching on the use of animals?
- 📝 What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 What should I expect at a Roman Catholic funeral?
- 📝 What effect did the 1897 decree regarding the Johannine Comma have on Catholic scholarship?
- 📝 What are the differences between Roman Catholic and Irish Catholic?
- 📝 What should a Catholic Religious Ed. class be taught about the Reformation?
- 📝 What is the Catholic position on Exodus 20:4?
- 📝 What are the consequences of suicide according to the Roman Catholic church?
- 📝 What is so special about sitting at God's "right hand"?
- 📝 What is the Catholic concept of grace?
- 📝 From a Roman Catholic point of view, what should a Protestant chaplain do for a dying Catholic?
- 📝 What is the official Roman Catholic opinion on Swedenborg?
- 📝 What is the Catholic understanding of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve?
- 📝 What is the purpose and basis for the special garments issued to temple-going Mormons?
- 📝 What happened to the wives of priests when celibacy was first instituted in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What is the reasoning for Latin being the official language of Catholic Mass?
- 📝 What are the stipulations for a mixed marriage to be valid in the Catholic Church?