So, in this episode of Fr. Simon Says, Patrick from Richmond calls in with a heavy-hitter question: predestination. He mentions how St. Paul talks about us being “called according to God’s purpose” (cue Romans 8:28) and wonders if this means predestination, like Calvin suggests. Wow – does Fr. Simon have thoughts!

Fr. Simon starts by explaining Calvin’s view of double predestination (basically, some people are created for heaven and some for hell, like… what? 😳). Fr. Simon calls this out as seriously flawed. He asks, “Would a loving God really create someone just to suffer for eternity?”

He gets into the nitty-gritty of Romans 8 and clarifies the often-misunderstood verse. The text doesn’t say God predestines people to heaven or hell, but rather He predestines us to be conformed to the image of His Son. That’s the goal, the horizon: our destiny isn’t about our eternal destination in a simplistic heaven-or-hell sense. It’s about becoming more like Christ in the here and now!

He also emphasizes that God wills everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), which pretty much torpedoes Calvin’s idea of a God who creates people just to show off His justice by sending them to hell. This isn’t who God truly is!

Bottom line: Fate and destiny? Totally different. We’re not fated for heaven or hell in advance. We’re called to live out a destiny of looking more like Jesus to the world. The whole world needs that! 🌎🙏

The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS