Expectations

"For when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature observe the prescriptions of the law, they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge people's hidden works through Christ Jesus."
-Romans 2:14-16

In discussing different groups of people like we did in yesterday's post, a subject that often comes up is who gets into the heaven and how. I understand in the past some Catholics believed only Catholics got into heaven. Today, that's not the case, but other denominations still believe they are the only ones that get in (and Catholics especially would not). We will be judged by our works and by the gifts we have been given, so since not everyone has been given the same gifts of faith, not everyone will be judged the same way, but everyone will be judged fairly. In the parable of the coins, the man given more had more expected from him and the the second man had less expected from him. Both of these men doubled what was given to them and were equally rewarded even though the one who had more made more and the one who had less made less. Likewise, Catholics who have been given the gift of faith are expected to live up to certain expectations like attending Mass on Sundays and other Holy Days of obligation, but there are other more general expectations of all human beings written on our hearts whether we ever heard of Jesus or not. Even unschooled barbarians had been known to hide to avoid being caught stealing. No one taught them it was wrong to steal, but they still knew it deep down. There are a lot of good people who have not been given the gift of Catholic faith that I wouldn't be surprised to see in heaven and there are a number of rotten people that call themselves Catholic that I wouldn't be surprised to never see again if I make it to heaven.