Justification by faith alone is a thorny issue between Catholics and Protestants. There is a tendency for each side to misrepresent the other. Imagine then my surprise to find a Catholic writer who, it seems to me, is not unsympathetic to the classical Protestant understanding of this doctrine. And guess from whom he got the following quote:
I am very happy that I am going to heaven. But when I think of this word of the Lord, “I shall come soon and bring with me my recompense to give to each according to his works,” I tell myself that this will be very embarrassing for me, because I have no works. … Very well! He will render to me according to His works for His own sake.
And here’s another one from the same source:
In the evening of this life I shall appear before Thee with empty hands because I do not ask Thee, Lord, to count my works. All our just acts have blemishes in Thine eyes. Therefore I want to wrap myself up again in Thy justice, and to receive from Thy love the eternal possession of Thee Thyself.
Curious? Read the whole article here to find out who said this. Incidentally, it is interesting to point out that these “Lutheran” insights helped the author of these statements to resolve “fierce temptations to atheism”.
