26 July 2026

26 July 2026 - 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Transcript

Reading:  

Romans 8:29a, 30-31

Write:  

For those he foreknew he also predestined…
 And those he predestined he also called;
 and those he called he also justified;
 and those he justified he also glorified.
 What then shall we say to this? 
 If God is for us, who can be against us?

Reflect:   

In Jesus’ day, there were three main types or parties among the Jews—the Essenes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. The Essenes thought that everything is fated by God to happen, so that people have no free will. The Sadducees were the exact opposite. They denied predestination and attributed everything to free will. Finally, the Pharisees believed that both predestination and free will have a role. That is the closest to our Catholic understanding. For Christians, Paul rules out the view taken by the Sadducees. God’s grace does play a part in everything we do that is worthwhile and holy. On the other hand, the other two views have found supporters among Christians. But, we do not accept the position of the Essenes or the Sadducees.

Calvinists take the position closest to that of the Essenes and place a strong emphasis on predestination. According to Calvinism, God actively chooses certain individuals to be saved, and he gives them grace that will unfailingly result in their salvation. Those whom God does not choose don’t receive this grace, so they are inevitably damned. “And there’s nothing you can do about it. So there.” 😉I’m so glad I’m Catholic!

In Calvinist thought, God’s choice is said to be “unconditional,” meaning that it isn’t based on anything about the individuals. Free will means nothing.

This just does not seem to make sense to me. It just does not seem right to say that God condemns some people out of hand and others he grants salvation. Our God is not that capricious.

Now, the Catholic Church permits a range of views on the subject of predestination, but there are certain points on which it is firm: God predestines no one to go to hell (so much for the Calvinists); to be condemned to hell requires a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) and persistence in it until the end, meaning no repentance (see CCC 1037). The Church also rejects the idea of unconditional election, stating that when God “establishes his eternal plan of ‘predestination,’ he includes in it each person’s free response to his grace” (CCC 600). 

Apply:   

Why is that important? Why is free will so important? We have to choose to love God. But that also means we have to be free to choose not to love God.

So, let us turn back to Paul. He is saying that salvation is a result of God’s purpose and of God’s grace; it did not happen by chance, and it was not something that the believer earned by his own merit. This is a perfectly solid and traditional Catholic way to look at predestination.

Paul’s basic emphasis is that salvation is by God’s grace alone and it is not due to any human effort. (Remember, that Luther claimed that we are saved by faith alone. The church says that we are saved by grace alone, through faith.) It is the prerogative of God. That is his predestination, his selection of us as his children.

Let’s take another look at that progression from Saint Paul’s reading today: those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

Saint Augustine said: “God who created you without you, will not save you without you.” I like that line. So God created us. He destined us to be his children (predestination). He called us by grace into this relationship. And by the work of Jesus, he brought us to justification – the removal of the stains of sin. And because we have been justified, we have also been glorified.

Maybe a better way to express to be glorified would be something like one of these: “he gave them part of his majesty;” or “he gave them some of the wonderfulness which he had;” or “he caused them to be glorious in some way similar to the way he is glorious.” You’ve heard me say this before: everyone who has been baptized are princes and princesses in the kingdom. But we do have to accept that royal gift. We have an example of someone who chose not to accept it in a worldly realm: Prince Harry. He still remains estranged from the royal family in England. As an aside, and at the risk of being judgmental, I blame his wife.

Now, that brings me to the added verse that I read at the start. It is the next verse in Paul’s letter to the Romans. “What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

How well do you understand the dignity that God has chosen to give you? Predestined, called, justified; and glorified. And again I repeat: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Do not let yourself get confused. The word predestination can be very confusing. But I think it is most confusing when it is allowed to be taken out of context. Predestined, called, justified; and glorified. The devil wants to throw confusion into this simple truth. We… are… royalty… in the kingdom of God. And I think that is the top message from this selection from Romans.

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