Question 35 – Do We Pray With Them To The Same God As The Muslims and Are Muslims Children Of God?

Interview Organization: Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima

Interviewer Name: Christopher P. Wendt

Date: April 13, 2021

Christians, Jews, and Muslims do not share the same ancestors as Abraham’s descendants. Jews are the carnal descendants of Abraham, but Christians are the true children of Abraham through faith in Christ. Salvation is not guaranteed by descent; it comes through belief in Jesus. The Gospel teaches that Jesus existed before Abraham and that faith in Him, not ancestry, makes us children of Abraham. We must be cautious not to relativize faith or reduce it to political correctness. The belief that all three religions share the same faith contradicts the Gospel, which calls for belief in Jesus Christ for eternal life.

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Transcript:

There is a lot of confusion in this prayer and in these expressions. We are not Christians, Jews, and Muslims; we are not the same children of Abraham. The Jews are the literal children of Abraham, I mean the descendants by flesh, and maybe also the Arabs say the same, but not all Muslims. We have to distinguish the biological descendants. The Jews are children of the flesh, born by the flesh of Abraham, but according to the entire Gospel and the entire tradition of the Church, St. Paul says that we Christians are the true children of Abraham by faith.

We have to read only Saint Paul. He distinguishes very clearly that being descendants by flesh does not give salvation. We are children of Abraham spiritually. Jesus says in the Gospel of John that it does not help to be a descendant of Abraham if you do not believe in Him. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ are the true children of Abraham. This is the main aspect of the entire Gospel, the preaching of the apostles, and the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that Abraham saw Him. Abraham rejoiced in seeing Christ, and only those are real children of Abraham, spiritual children, who see Christ and rejoice in Him.

This is in the Gospel of John, in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Eastern Rite, in the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, there is a beautiful prayer after one of the readings in the first part of the liturgy, saying that all nations and all people of the world should receive the grace of the baptism of faith and thereby become children of Abraham. This is the Church’s teaching: when we receive baptism and believe in Jesus Christ, we are the true children of Abraham.

The Church also prays in this same liturgy, on Easter night, that all nations will receive the dignity of Israel when they believe in Jesus Christ and are reborn—not of the flesh of Abraham, but in the faith of Abraham in Jesus Christ. This distinction is very important; otherwise, it becomes complete relativism. To say that we all have the same faith is evidently false. In the Gospel of John, chapter three, Our Lord Jesus Christ says, "Whoever does not believe in the Son whom God sent will not receive eternal life." He adds that the wrath of God will remain upon him who does not believe in His Son. This is clear.

We cannot change the Word of God to be politically correct. It is a betrayal of the Gospel to say that Jews today, the descendants of the rabbis of the Talmud, and Muslims and Christians have the same faith and the same Abraham as father. This is not true; it contradicts the Gospel and all the teachings of the Church. It relativizes Our Lord Jesus Christ, putting Him on the same level as Moses, Mohammed, or others.

Our Lord Jesus Christ asked in the Gospel of Matthew that the apostles clarify who He is. Some said He was one of the prophets, or John the Baptist, but our Lord did not accept this. Peter answered, "You are the Son of the living God." This is the true confession which Our Lord demands from all humanity, including Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and others. I repeat, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: whoever does not believe in the Son sent by God the Father will not have eternal life, and the wrath of God will remain upon him. These are the words of the Gospel.

Question/ Title

Q431 – How can Catholic clergy who publicly promote heretical views still be considered part of the Church? Do they retain authority and jurisdiction, and are the sacraments they administer still valid?

Q430 – Should a pastor be removed from a parish when he has been accused of sexual misconduct with an adult female parishioner?

Q429 – Cardinal Müller has suggested that the situation isn’t urgent enough to justify acting outside the usual jurisdiction. How would you respond to that, or to the Society’s reasoning on this point?

Q428 – Cardinal Sarah would say that the Society should obey the pope and thus not ordain in July, would you say the Society is being disobedient, like the Protestants or Orthodox?

Q427 – Is the papal approval of bishop’s ordination of apostolic origin and therefore an essential part of the deposit of Faith to where it is unchangeable and that it incurs auto-excommunication when not followed or is it a matter of discipline?

Q426 – Can a Catholic attend a Society of Saint Pius X Mass, even after their bishop ordinations, without incurring excommunication?

Q425 – If the SSPX consecrate bishops in July as they have decided necessary, will they truly be in schism as they do not promote heretical teachings nor intend a schismatic act?

Q424 – What advice can you offer for evangelizing to a Muslim friend who is open to learning about Catholicism but has not yet converted?

Q423 – If someone prays multiple rosaries daily, is it necessary to pray the Hail Holy Queen after each one?

Q422 – Is it acceptable to attend Mass at an SSPX chapel, even though some believe the Society does not fully recognize the Pope?