They make better Catholics than most Catholics. On the other hand, I don’t spend a great deal of time judging fellow parishioners. When I say that, I think of people who are indistinguishable from the worst heathen you could find. Stalin was a baptized Catholic.
The mystery of the difference between mistakes and damnable willful choices is nearly as inscrutable as Providence itself. We can know what sin is, we can know by catechism and conscience that we need forgiveness, but why any of us do anything—especially knowing it’s wrong—is beyond my understanding.
Aquinas tells us that we sin because we believe that the sin is an apparent good. And I will buy that. It must appear to be good in the affections; I do not become ignorant of intellectual matters long settled. To be frank, I must not be able to see the damage of the bad thing I have chosen.
Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Sometimes, I question in some sense this prayer. “They should know on this one,” I think. Then again, I do the same thing 600 times. My guardian angel thinks I am a moron, I am sure. The thing is, I have no cause to argue.
It’s sort of funny: Aquinas in effect says that we can be redeemed precisely because we’re stupid. Angels have perfect knowledge. Their wills are fixed—for and against—in the instant of their choosing.
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