Salvation

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. 

I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” (John 17:11-19)

This is the rest of Jesus’ “high priestly prayer” begun yesterday.  He is believed to have said this prayer just before he was arrested.  It would seem obvious this prayer is John’s version of what he thought Jesus would have said before Judas and the soldiers arrived.  John used his imagination influenced by his and his community’s belief that Jesus was divine and knew beforehand what was to happen to him.  

“Keep them from the Evil One.”  That would seem to be an aspect of salvation.  How do we keep ourselves away from the Evil One?  In the Gospels salvation comes to those who accept Jesus’ call to live differently.  Those who live as God directs – in service to others – will be saved.  Salvation is not based on any particular religious belief, nationality, or cultural heritage.  It is based on the commandment to love.

Think of the sheep and goat parable in Matthew 25:31-46.  The “king” speaks to the sheep and says they have been saved because they helped those in need, giving to the poor, helping the sick, visiting the lonely, and loving others as much as they love themselves.  Or even more: giving up their lives for others.  That’s salvation.

Now we seem to run afoul of our Catholic belief stated in our Catechism’s Outside the Church there is no salvation: #846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence, they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it. 

Some wiggle room is provided by #847 the reads: “This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience — those too may achieve eternal salvation.”  Oops. Then those of us who do know the Gospel of Christ and his Church are "cooked."  If we leave the Church, if we refuse to remain in it, we will not be saved, according to the Catechism.

However, for those who have walked away from the Church for a variety of understandable reasons, we have this option. The Catechism provides in its Glossary: Salvation is defined as “The forgiveness of sins and restoration of friendship with God which can be done by God alone.”  That’s love.

So, let’s seek forgiveness for our sins and let's love to walk the path towards salvation by seeking God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, we try in our actions to do his will as we know it through the dictates of our conscience.  This will keep us away from the Evil One.

Deacon David Pierce