God predestines the graces by which His elect become Catholic
Saint Augustine explained that the graces by which the predestined are eternally assumed into Christ comprise:
- The preaching of the Gospel by which the elect are given the word to which they consent;
- The thought that the word of the Faith is to be believed;
- The will to accept the Faith by which they are brought to baptism into Christ;
- Perseverance in the Faith and in righteousness;
- Or in the case of the elect who die in infancy, at least the baptism by which they are eternally assumed into Christ.
It is all God’s doing by which the elect are infallibly saved in the Catholic Church. This was indicated by the Apostle Peter upon the founding of the Church at Pentecost: “And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved.” (Acts 2:47) And the Lord says: “And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” (Saint John 10:14)
As we can see above, Our salvation is all God's doing (except maybe we lean 1/10 of 1 degree in the right direction, if that much).
Then how can someone say that a person died by accident before they could be baptized? How can they say that someone who Our Lord has predestinated for baptism can be snatched away from his predestination, or die before that has been accomplished in them that which the Almighty has predestined?
They could easily also say that they are "snatched away" from God's predestination before:
God provides the preaching of the Gospel by which the elect are given the word to which they consent, or before
or before The thought that the word of the Faith is to be believed;
or before God gives them the will to accept the Faith by which they are brought to baptism into Christ;
or before God gives them the perseverance in the Faith and in righteousness;
Why only focus on the person "being snatched" at the very end, just before they are baptized in water?
What's so difficult about baptizing in water? Seems to me that it is harder for God to convert someone, the other steps above, and there are more of them, than the grace of baptism in water. Why can a person then "be snatched" at the easiest to fullfil moment for God?