The Catholic Church teaches that God "wills that all men be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4) 10. This is understood as God's antecedent will, meaning His sincere desire for the salvation of all humanity, abstracting from any conditions or circumstances that might interfere with it, such as human sin 10. God provides the necessary means of salvation, including sufficient graces, for all who are capable of cooperating with them 10.
However, God has also bestowed upon humanity the gift of free will 1 2 4. This freedom allows individuals to choose between good and evil, to accept or reject their relationship with God 2 3.
Here's how the Church addresses the concept of "hardness of heart" in relation to God's will:
Hardness of Heart as a Human Choice
Hardness of heart is not something God actively wills for a person; rather, it is a consequence of human freedom being misused or abused 2 5.
- Abuse of Freedom: Human freedom is finite and fallible 5. When individuals choose a false good or renounce the choice for good, they fail in their vocation to freedom and become dependent upon evil 2 5. This resistance to God's will and grace is what constitutes hardness of heart.
- Rejection of God's Law: God's law is given for humanity's good, and true freedom is found in accepting it 6. Hardness of heart signifies a rejection of this divine law and a claim to an absolute moral autonomy that does not belong to man 6.
- Capacity for Failure: The ability to choose evil does not belong to the essence of free will itself, but it is a consequence of free will existing in a created nature that is capable of failure 9. God's will, being perfect, does not have this capacity for failure or for willing evil 9.
God's Permissive Will and Respect for Freedom
While God desires all to be saved, He does not force salvation upon anyone, nor does He take away their free will 4.
- Permission, Not Active Willing: God permits the misuse of free will because He has granted it as a gift 8. He does not actively will someone to remain hard-hearted, but He allows for the possibility of such a choice out of respect for the freedom He has given 4 8.
- Invincible Will: Even when individuals act contrary to God's will by not believing or by hardening their hearts, they do not "overcome" God's will 4. Instead, they "rob their own selves of the great, nay, the very greatest, good, and implicate themselves in penalties of punishment" 4. God's will remains invincible because He has devised what to do with those who despise it, ensuring that they cannot escape the consequences of their choices 4.
- Consequent Will: This relates to God's consequent will, which takes into account the choices made by free creatures 10. While God antecedently wills all to be saved, His consequent will justly responds to human choices, including the choice to remain hard-hearted.
The Role of Intercession
Intercession remains vital even for those who are hard-hearted because it aligns with God's antecedent will for their salvation and continues to offer them grace.
- Continued Offer of Grace: God has given human beings intellect and will to freely seek, know, and love Him 7. Intercession is a way of participating in God's ongoing offer of grace and truth to those who may be resisting it 7.
- Opening Hearts: While intercession does not override free will, it can create an affinity for the truth and draw the human heart towards it, as the Holy Spirit is already at work in the search for good and truth 7. It can provide the necessary means and opportunities for a change of heart.
- Hope for Conversion: The Church encourages intercession for all, including sinners, because conversion is always possible as long as freedom has not definitively bound itself to evil 3. Intercession is an act of hope and charity, trusting in God's infinite mercy and His desire for all to turn to Him.
[1] Catholic Encyclopedia The Nature and Attributes of God
[2] A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (The Baltimore Catechism No. 3) 145
[3] Catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church: Christ – Our Pascha 137
[4] On the Spirit and the Letter 58
[5] CCC 1732
[6] Instruction on Christian freedom and liberation – Libertatis conscientia 30
[8] Disputed Questions on Truth Q. 24, A. 3, C.
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