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If you think works will save you I ask the following:

1) how many do you have to do?
2) how do you or your priest know you’ve done the right ones?
3) what if you don’t do enough?
4) what if you’ve done the wrong ones?
5) what about the thief on the cross....no chance for good works....is he saved?
6) do you lose your salvation? what do you have to do to get it back?? if you can?

So what happens if you’ve had a really bad day sin wise and you’re killed in a car wreck. No chance to confess to a priest and your works aren’t good that day.

Have you lost your salvation?

Do you go to Heaven or Hell?

I believe the answer to your questions can be found in reflecting on your question 5): “what about the thief on the cross....no chance for good works....is he saved?”

Scripture is silent on whether the thief did good works. Scripture does tell us that the thief rebuked the other thief, that he evidently had fear of the Lord, that he said Jesus had done nothing criminal; then he asked Jesus to remember him.

Jesus then told the thief that he would on that day be with Him in paradise. If we have faith in Christ, we have confidence that the thief is saved.

As far as the works that we do are concerned, there is no scorecard kept of whether we do enough or if they are good enough or if they are done daily. It is what’s in our heart that matters. As the Lord said to Samuel, “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

The Lord will look on my heart if I were to commit a serious sin and die before I am able to go to confession. If I am sorry for my sin and ask God’s forgiveness before I die, I would be saved. If I am not sorry for my sin, I would not be saved even if I do make it to confession and the priest absolves me. Only God can forgive my sin.

So if you don’t have time to think to ask for forgiveness, cause car wrecks happen fairly quickly and usually without warning, you would not be saved???

I do agree with your last line....only God can forgive my sin. so if that is the case, why go to the priest?

I’d really be curious as to your answers on the other questions. As I understood the post, and Catholic teaching, we have to do good works as part of salvation or else we aren’t saved.