The classic Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic position is that God predestined based on foreknowledge that someone would accept the Gospel (Conditional Election).
That is not
the Roman Catholic position per se. There are two major schools of thought in Catholicism. What you’ve described is basically just the Molinist position. The
Molinist view is that God predestines those whom He knows will respond to His grace. Those whom He knows will not respond to His grace He does not predestine to heaven. Obviously, the difference here is that Predestination is dependent upon the individual's actions, and not upon God's sovereign will.
Opposite to this is the
Thomistic view. There is not one Thomistic school of thought. But in general, Thomists believe that God predestines the elect to heaven. He does not predestine the reprobates to heaven, but neither does He predestine them to hell. They have damned themselves, or, more accurately, we all deserve hell because of original sin. God simply does not save the reprobates from humanity's self-inflicted damnation.
- Whom does He save? Those whom He chooses.
- Why does He choose them? Because He loves them more.
- Why does He love them more? Who are we to question Him?
- Why do they believe this? Simply put, because God is sovereign. We do not change Him. He changes us.
The
Catholic view: Both schools of thought are permitted.
The Church does not say why God chooses to predestine some and not others. But here are some basic Catholic teachings on predestination, most of which were declared at the Council of Trent in response to Protestant beliefs:
First, we cannot be assured in this life that we are among those who have been predestined, apart from some special revelation from God. This kind of language presumes predestination—that there exist some who are predestined. Here all that is condemned is the notion that we can know we are among the ones chosen, or predestined.
The council also condemned the false teaching that some are predestined to evil. Significantly, however, in this condemnation it also implicitly upheld single (or, what I call
positive) predestination, the idea that we are chosen for life. Here’s the full text of this important canon:
If any one saith, that the grace of Justification is only attained to by those who are
predestined unto life; but that all others who are called, are called indeed, but receive not grace, as being, by the divine power,
predestined unto evil; let him be anathema (CANON XVII). (
Click here to read the full context of the canon.)
You should check out Garrigou-Lagrange's work,
Predestination. It is very thorough. It's a difficult read, but it's well worth the effort. On a personal note, I view myself as more of a Thomist.