Started from another thread referencing this Post
you have the nerve to say that I and/or CMRI denies EENS. Read their web site and prove it.
CMRI has twice published an article entitled "The Salvation of Those Outside the Church" ... a WORD FOR WORD contradiction of EENS.
I posted that article in the library on this forum...read it and weep, Ladislaus
http://www.cathinfo.com/catholic.php?a=topic&t=26486&f=16&min=0&num=5
I posted the below article in a readable format in order for Catholics here on CI to enumerate the errors within this article from CMRI, written by Fr. Noel Barbara.
I quickly was overwhelmed by the amount and scope of errors, and found that the below article could have been written by any Novus Oddo priest or bishop - or layperson for that matter.
So I stopped pointing out the lies and falsehoods after only the first few lies in the article (in blue) and will leave the rest for other the Catholics here on CI to post the truth against the lies in the article from Fr. Noel Barbara.
THE SALVATION OF THOSE OUTSIDE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH as Ladislaus enunciated, is "a word for word contradiction of EENS"
"There is only one universal Church, outside of which absolutely no one can be saved." (Infallibly decreed by Pope Innocent III in the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215) Gregory XVI gave enunciation to this dogma which is "one of the most important and most clearly enunciated" teachings of our religion.
How are we to understand his words? The reason Fr. Noel Barbara asks: "how are we to understand his words?" after Gregory XVI just said the dogma means exactly what it says, is because Fr. Noel Barbara is about to write an essay in order to introduce a lie and explain why the words of both the dogma and Pope Gregory's enunciation of it actually do not mean what they say - this is done with the spirit of Vatican 2 in mind where even after interpretation, all papal docuмents remain ambiguous.
As they were meant to be understood by the Apostles, This is the first outright lie. The First Vatican Council decrees that we must understand dogma "as once declared". Here we see Fr. Noel starts off his explanation with a lie. This is almost always the #1 essential step in the adulteration of dogma - to start off with a lie in order to change the meaning of the sacred dogma into a meaningless formula under the pretext of a better understanding - this is explicitly condemned by the First Vatican Council. the Apostolic Fathers and all the Doctors. The word of God can never change. As our Master said, "The sky and the earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Mark XIII:31).
Whosoever wishes to be faithful to the Lord should
"absolutely reject the heretical supposition that dogmas
evolve, as a result of which their meaning can change and
become different from that which the Church first imparted to
them" ("Antimodernist Oath", Denzinger 2145,4).
Such being the case, the Church today, as she has always
done, clearly teaches that outside of her, no one can be saved.
In the face of this, must one believe that everyone,
without exception, who does not OFFICIALLY belong to the Church
Another lie. That makes two lies for F.N. Barbara. He added the word "OFFICIALLY" without as much as any pretense of an addition. ALL CAPS does not indicate words added but rather implies emphasis in the original as seen.
by means of the reception of Baptism and the public profession
of the Catholic faith, is damned? Not at all.
Another lie. That makes three lies for F.N. Barbara. To say that we can only know of salvation by means of the sacraments is not equivalent to passing judgment on anyone who does not receive the sacraments. We simply do not know what happens to them, but whatever it is, it can't be the salvation that God provides by way of His Church, because the Church has infallibly defined it as such, with
EENS.
Here, he begins by quoting solid Catholic material from Blessed Pius IX:
Listen to the
words of Pope Pius IX: "God in his sovereign bounty and mercy
does not allow that a person who is not guilty of a voluntary
fault should be subject to eternal punishment" (Letter "Quanto
conficiamur").
And then, in the manner St. Pius X warned us about in
Pascendi, whereby a Modernist would write Catholic doctrine on one page, and then turn the page to find heresy, F.N. Barbara doesn't bother turning a page to get to his heresy:
In order to help us understand the possibility
of salvation for "non-Catholics", I shall review the nature of
the Church, and how, by means of her, God in His Mercy
regenerates souls and saves them.
So, first there is no salvation outside the Church, and now there is. That's what was said at your local parishes during Vatican II. All they needed was
LG 8 for that.
As if two peas in a pod, here goes F.N. Barbara with his pseudo-Vat.II ambiguity, not without first paying lip service to the truth, of course:
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
Recalling an expression used by St. Paul (Col. I:24), Pope
Pius XII said that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ:
"Mystici Corporis Christi quod est Ecclesia", and, in doing so,
confirmed the answer Joan of Arc gave to her judges when she
said: "In my opinion the Church and Christ are one and the same
thing."
"The Church", said dom Grea, "is Christ Himself; the
Church is the "fullness" and the achievement of Christ, "His
Body" and his true and mystical growth: The Church which is His
Body, and the fullness of him who is filled all in all (Eph.
I:22-23). And so it is that the Church occupies among the
works of God the very place of Christ. Christ and the Church
are one and the same work of God" ("L'Eglise et sa constitution
divine", p. 18).
Surely it is clear from this that there can only be one
institution which is the authentic Church of Christ.
HOW ARE WE TO RECOGNIZE THE CHURCH?
Foreseeing that innumerable Churches would claim to be
this unique institution, Christ took great pains to delineate
the nature of His Church and to distinguish it from all the
others. He did this at Caesarea Philippi. After having told
Simon bar Jona that he was Peter, Jesus declared "upon this
rock I will build my Church" (Matt. XVI:18). The Master did
not say "a Church", but "MY Church". This possessive adjective
makes it abundantly clear that of all the religious societies
which claim to belong to Him, only the Roman Catholic Church,
which is built upon the rock of Peter, is the authentic Church
of Christ; the others, which reject this rock, cannot be such.
The dogma in question must therefore be understood in this
manner: "Outside of the Roman Catholic Church, absolutely no
one will be saved".[1]
The Mystical Body of Christ, the true Church, participates
in the mystery of the Incarnation. Just as her Head, that is
Jesus Christ, is both true Man and true God, so also the
Catholic Church is at one and the same time both human and
divine, a material and a spiritual entity.
THE BODY OF THE CHURCH, that which renders her visible and
constitutes as it were "a flag raised over the nations", is
first of all those members of which she is composed. Also
pertaining to the body of the Church is the public profession
of the faith by these members, the sensible signs by means of
which she communicates to them the divine life, and finally,
the entire ensemble of her rites and monuments.
THE MEMBERS OF HER BODY are all those who have received
the laver of regeneration or Baptism. This is the sacrament of
the faith which Jesus instituted in order to bring together all
those whom the Father had called and chosen (John XV:16,
VI:44). As members of a visible body, they publicly profess
the Catholic faith.
OUTSIDE AND SEPARATED FROM THE BODY OF THE CHURCH are all
those who have been so unfortunate as to commit the sin of
heresy, schism or apostasy, as well as those who have been
excluded by legitimate authority.
THE SOUL OF THE CHURCH or her divine aspect is above all
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus. It is He who gives life
to the Church, who illuminates and directs her. It is also
this divine life which, descending from the Head, vivifies all
the members and binds them together. Finally, the Soul of the
Church consists of "the theological virtues faith, hope and
charity, the gifts of grace from the Holy Spirit, and all the
celestial treasures which are derived from the merits of Christ
the Redeemer, and of the Saints" ("Catechism of Saint Pius X").
BELONGING TO THE SOUL OF THE CHURCH are all those in whom
the Holy Spirit dwells.[3] These are those who have theological
faith, possess the divine life and are in a state of grace.
The primary effect of the Holy Spirit in the soul is to
sanctify it.
While sinners have separated themselves from the Soul of
the Church, they remain always united to her body. Pope Pius
XII recalled this in his encyclical "Mystici Corporis": "It is
necessary to recognize that the infinite mercy of Our Lord
makes it impossible for Him to refuse a place in His Mystical
Body to those whom He had previously not refused a place at his
banquet table (Matt. IX:11). For no fault, not even a most
serious sin - schism, heresy and apostasy apart - can separate
one from the Body of the Church."
SEPARATED FROM THE SOUL OF THE CHURCH are all those who,
as a result of some mortal sin, are no longer in a state of
grace. They have in effect expelled the Holy Spirit from their
souls because He cannot live in a soul that is stained by
mortal sin.
SALVATION COMES FROM GOD
It is a truth of our faith, one that as Catholics we must
believe, that there is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ.
Since the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, it is by means
of her that salvation is of necessity made available to us. In
what way does this happen?
THE ORDINARY MANNER
God bestows His gifts with consummate grace and
generosity. In order to make it possible for men to save
themselves more easily, His Son instituted and made available
to them true sources of grace in the sacraments. God has
obligated Himself to give us graces by these sensible signs,
and He is always faithful to His promises. Each time a
sacrament is properly administered, by one who has the power to
do so, and as long as men do not hinder His action, God is
obliged to provide them with the grace signified. This is the
constant teaching of the Catholic Church.
THE EXTRAORDINARY MANNER
If the Church teaches that the sacraments instituted by
the Son of God made man oblige the Father to give His graces to
whomsoever validly receives them, she has never taught that His
generosity is restricted to this methodology. If the Lord was
obliged to give those who labored the entire day the denarius
he had agreed upon, His Son reminds us that He did no wrong in
giving as much to those to whom He had promised nothing. Who
can be so presumptuous as to pretend that He is not allowed to
do as He wishes? What upright soul can take offense at His
generosity?
While we cannot pretend that God is "not allowed to do as He wishes," this is a strawman argument against an unspecified "opponent" for to say that God binds the Church and all mankind to His Commandments is not proclaiming what man allows God to do or not to do. God can indeed do as He wishes, but the real presumption on man's part is to leap to the error that God is prone to contradict Himself and to act against all revealed truth. That is to say, we can be sure that God, unlike F.N. Barbara, is not going to lie to us. God is not going to act in a way that contradicts Himself. God is not obliged to do anything that goes against His own word.
F.N. Barbara here sounds a bit like the schoolyard atheist who says, "Okay since you claim that your God can do anything, let's see Him create a rock too big and heavy for Him to lift."
(Read Matt. XX:1-16). It is then clear that God,
who has promised to give His graces through these ordinary
means of the sacraments, can also give them in an extraordinary
manner. Holy Scripture provides us with numerous examples of
this. Thus, Saint Dismas, the good thief, received the grace
of regeneration without any sacrament,
What does Baptism have to do with St. Dismas, who died in the old dispensation? There was no sacrament of Baptism at the time of the Crucifixion. This is lunacy at best. What about all the other people who died that day? They had no Baptism, either. Is the ultimate judge, F.N. Barbara, condemning all of them to hell??
and this with such
efficacy that Our Lord said to him, "This very day you will be
with me in Paradise" (Luke XXIII:43).
Again, it was without the medium of any sacrament that the
Virgin Mary, the Apostles and "the brothers who numbered around
120" (Acts I:15), "all together in one place" (II:1), were
filled with the Holy Spirit and were confirmed.
But the Descent of the Holy Ghost WAS a sacrament. And just as Our Lady received the singular privilege of being filled with the Holy Ghost at the moment of her Immaculate Conception, who are we to put limits on God for what He can do with the recipients of the day's grace at Pentecost? That was at least the third time for our Blessed Mother, BTW.
The centurion Cornelius, his parents, servants and most
intimate friends also received the Holy Spirit and were
gathered into the Soul of the Church before even being Baptized
by Peter. Baptism brought them into the Body of the Church,
but not into her Soul, for they were joined to the latter as
soon as they received the Holy Spirit (Acts X:44-48).
Closer to our own time we can cite the case of Ratisbonne,
a Jew who was overcome by grace on January 20, 1842 while in
the church of Saint Andrew in Rome. He changed from a state of
complete disbelief and hostility to the Church to one of
complete acceptance of the Catholic faith. At the same time he
received a knowledge of the Christian mysteries that he had
never studied. Like his co-religionist Paul of Tarsus, Baptism
attached Ratisbonne only to the Body of the Church. He
belonged to the Soul of the Church from the moment of his
conversion, thanks to the virtue of theological faith.
These examples show with a certitude which cannot be
denied that it is possible to belong to the Soul of the Church
without belonging to her Body, and that God can bestow His
graces in an extraordinary manner which is independent of the
sacraments.
While we cannot place limits on the infinite providence of God, neither can we proclaim the manner by which God would bestow such generosity. For if it is just the same for one being baptized as one dying with some vague longing for something good having never heard of the Church or the "Trinity" (except perhaps to kill anyone who utters it), then there is no need for any missionaries to evangelize anyone, but that is not what Jesus Christ commanded, is it?
WHO IS ASSURED OF HIS SALVATION?
It is important that we remember that what saves us from
eternal damnation is not belonging to the Body of the Church,
but rather belonging to the Soul of the Church.
So here we leap from a Church with an inseparable soul, to a kind of zombie Church that has no soul. The Church of the Living Dead. F.N. Barbara perhaps wants to produce a horror movie, but he missed his calling.
The Church has
always taught that the baptized who die in a state of mortal
sin which has not been forgiven, are damned despite their
belonging to the Body of the Church.
Maybe F.N. Barbara has written his own dictionary. He must have a different idea of what "always" means. Maybe he's been reading Ambrosia's posts too much, where he says that BoD has "always and everywhere" been taught in the Church.
Without doubt, it is not
possible for those who refuse to attach themselves to the Body
of the Church to belong to her Soul. But is it possible for
those who, without any fault of their own, cannot receive
baptism of water or explicitly formulate an act of Catholic
faith in order to be part of the Body of the Church to belong
to the Soul of the Church and be assured of their salvation?
Here he goes again, placing limits on the providence of God. News flash: Just because someone claims to desire Baptism is not the same thing as God knowing that they do in fact desire it.
The response to this question provides us with the solution to
the problem which the salvation of non-Catholics raises.
You mean the problem that the infallible definition of the Church raises in the minds of those who reject this dogma, like F.N. Barbara? That problem?
By means of the letter "Quanto conficiamur" given to the
Italian episcopacy (on August 10, 1863), Pius IX clarified this
matter in a striking manner.
Wait. You skipped a paragraph. I wonder why? (Actually, I don't wonder at all.)
"We know", he said, "that those
WHO ARE INVINCIBLY IGNORANT OF OUR MOST HOLY RELIGION, AND WHO
OBSERVE WITH CARE THE NATURAL LAW AND ITS PRECEPTS, written by
God in the hearts of all men, AND WHO ARE DISPOSED TO OBEY GOD,
and who live a life which is honest and upright, can, with the
aid of the light of divine grace, acquire eternal salvation."
If they can acquire eternal life without belonging to the
Body of the Church, it is because they are united to her Soul.
There we go again. Not a direct quote. Added words. Theological speculation. Who needs any pope when you've got the Barbara?
Under what conditions does this occur? The papal text goes on
to explain.
THE NON-CATHOLICS
This phrase is very vague. It designates individuals who
span the spectrum from schismatic Christians to atheists, and
embraces in between a host of religious groups, both Christian
and non-Christian. If all, in so far as they are non-Catholic,
are outside the Ark of Salvation, not all have the same degree
of difficulty in order to overcome the obstacles and enter into
this Ark. The followers of Photius (the Orthodox) need only
accept those dogmas which relate to the primacy and
infallibility of the Pope.[2]
What about EENS, and the Immaculate Conception, and the Assumption of Our Lady, among other dogmas defined since 1054?
Oh, BTW, that doesn't include BoD, which has never been defined. The Orthodox don't have to believe in BoD, or in F.N. Barbara for that matter.
The followers of Luther, who
deny almost all the Catholic dogmas, have much greater
obstacles to overcome.
But they don't have to overcome BoD because they already believe it. Wait. So they're a lot like F.N. Barbara then, no? :scratchchin:
As for the Jews and Muslims, obstinate
in their opposition to the divine mysteries (the Trinity and
Christology), they are faced with the problem of denying
principles that are fundamental to their religion if they wish
to truly enter into the way of salvation.
That much is true enough.
With regard to these latter and all those who deny the
mysteries of God, it is necessary to make the following point.
If it is possible that non-Catholics can belong to the Soul of
the Church while in good faith knowing nothing of the divine
Mysteries,
In other words, like Bishop Sheen says, "It is by our ignorance that we are saved."
He was gung-ho Vat.II, you know. And that was at the root of it: Americanism, a condemned heresy.
News flash number TWO: Explicit faith in the Trinity and in the divinity of Jesus are necessary for salvation. Crack open a copy of the Athanasian Creed some fine day.
this is absolutely impossible for those who
blaspheme against them. Those who imprecate (blaspheme
against) these mysteries clearly manifest that they are not
animated by the good Spirit and that they do not belong to the
Soul of the Church .
NECESSARY CONDITIONS WHICH MUST BE FULFILLED
FOR NON-CATHOLICS TO BELONG TO THE SOUL OF THE CHURCH
INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE
This is the error in which those who without any fault on
their part find themselves. It presumes good faith.
So now, you see, not only are we saved by our ignorance (which is nowhere to be found in Scripture otherwise the Bible would have been a JOKE all along!) but our ignorance is an "error" according to F.N. Barbara. We are henceforth saved by our error.
Tell me more!
It can be
met with among those to whom the true religion has never been
presented,
Translation Literally this sentence says:
"The true religion has never been presented to those among with it can be met." Get it?
Should we appreciate F.N. Barbara's clarity now, or wait for it to show up first?
and among those to whom it has been presented and to
whom, despite this, it does not appear to be the truth. Such
is to be found in parts of the world which are completely
adherent to the schismatic churches or some other cult, such as
Islam, Judaism, Protestantism, etc.
Let's just cut to the chase: Non-Catholics in this day and age are all invincibly ignorant. Let's get on to something more understandable, why don't we?
So, how about them Giants! What do you suppose their ERA is gonna look like come September?
This ignorance excuses
those involved of all culpability. One calls this invincible
because they are prevented from abandoning their errors
precisely because they believe they are adhering to the truth.
How about this: They're prevented from abandoning their errors because God's Church has ostensibly tossed out her infallible dogmas in place of Freemasonic religious liberty, false ecuмenism and false collegiality, all of which is based on BoD and salvation by NSAA, which see.
Invincible ignorance only excuses the faults committed
against the existence, the nature and the demands of the one
true religion. It never excuses those faults that go against
the precepts of natural law since such are "written in the
hearts of all men by God Himself".
How prudent of F.N. Barbara to be so scrupulous in his prejudgment of God's justice.
IT IS NECESSARY TO CAREFULLY OBEY THE NATURAL LAW AND ALL
ITS PRECEPTS.
Among the demands of this law, and in fact of primary
importance, are our duties towards God. Whatever his state or
condition, man is obliged to recognize the existence of God,
His sovereignty, and believe that He rewards man for the good
that he does, and punishes him for the evil that he does.
"Without faith", St. Paul affirms, "it is impossible to please
God. It is necessary for a person who comes to God to believe
that He exists, that He rewards those that seek after Him"
(Heb. XI:6). Such excludes from salvation all those non-
Catholics who are atheists, be they of the militant or
indifferent variety.
We know from St. Paul the reasons for their culpability.
"Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For
God hath manifested it unto them. For the invisible things of
Him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made; His eternal power also,
and divinity: so that they are inexcusable. Because that, when
they knew God, they have not glorified Him as God, or given
thanks" (Rom. I:19-21). The Church recalled this teaching of
the faith at Vatican I: "If anyone says that the one and true
God, our Creator and Lord, cannot be known with certitude by
means of His works, thanks to the natural light of human
reason, let him be anathema" (Const. "Dei Filius", Denz.
1806).
IT IS NECESSARY TO BE DISPOSED TO OBEY GOD AND IN ALL
THINGS TO DESIRE HIS GOOD PLEASURE.
In his Encyclical "Mystici Corporis Christi", Pope Pius
XII, after having distinguished between those who are actually
incorporated into the Church, and those who are united only by
desire to her soul, adds: "However, one should not think that
any kind of desire to be part of the Church suffices for the
salvation of one's soul. The desire required is one animated
by perfect charity". In so stating, Pius XII was but
reiterating the third condition specified by Pius IX.
The law of love should express itself by action rather
than by words: "It is not all those who say Lord, Lord, but
those who do the will of my Father who will enter into the
kingdom of heaven" (Cf. Matt. VII:21).
This disposition in everything to do the will of God is an
indication of their implicit but true desire to adhere to the
Catholic Church. Their faith in God is not dead because it is
productive of fruit. In essence, they are not content merely
with believing; they make their conduct conform to their
belief, and this concordance of their will with that of God
makes them implicitly, but truly, desire the Baptism that Jesus
instituted in order to incorporate them into His Church if they
are not Christian, and makes them disposed to abjure the errors
which maintain them outside of the Church if they are misled
and are in a schismatical or heretical sect. Unquestionably,
if they were aware of the fact, they would abjure their errors,
as they are well disposed to submit to His will. It is this
disposition, this charity which God has given them, which
inclines them to "do the will of the Father in Heaven", and
which gathers them into the soul of the Church.
ARE YOU NOT SETTING UP IMPOSSIBLE CRITERIA?
Some think that all these conditions cannot be fulfilled,
especially among those souls that have never known the true
religion. As they see it, to demand such criteria is
equivalent to condemning virtually all non-Catholics to eternal
damnation. But they are quite wrong. Those who see things in
this way forget the words of Jesus to His disciples when they
questioned Him precisely on the issue of how it was possible
for anyone to save his soul: "With men it is impossible, but
not with God: for all things are possible with God" (Mark
X:27).
If God helps non-Catholics to save their souls outside of
the norms established by His Son, it is because He would "have
all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(I Tim. II:4). This desire induces the Father to continuously
draw souls (John VI:44) that His Son chooses (John XV:16). In
order to enlighten them, He normally uses the ministers of His
Church. But this habitual disposition in no way hinders Him
from drawing some souls directly and without any minister
whatsoever, and regardless of the situation in which they find
themselves. God, who wishes the salvation of every soul,
provides every soul with the necessary graces. To that degree
that a given soul responds to graces bestowed, it receives yet
further graces, "for it is God that worketh in you, both to
will and to accomplish" (Phil. II:13). It is thus that the
most profound transformations occur little by little in souls
of good will and dispose such souls above all to desire to do
the will of God whom they adore "in truth". Not all these
souls are visited with extraordinary graces which transform
them "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (I Cor. XV:52)
as occurred to Saul or Ratisbonne. It is "the wisdom of God
which visits them ... for wisdom is more active than all active
things ... Wisdom is the splendor of the eternal light ...
which renews all things and through the nations conveyeth
herself into holy souls, she maketh the friends of God ... She
reacheth from one end of the world to the other and ordereth
all things sweetly" (Wisdom, VII:24-27, VIII:1). This is that
sweetness "for the forgiveness of their sins"; this is that
"visit of the rising Sun from on high[4] which enlightens those
who are in darkness and in the shadow of death and directs them
in the way of peace" that Zacharias sang of in his "Benedictus"
canticle which was and is in effect "the entrails of the
mercy[5] of our God" (Luke I:78-79).
A CATHOLIC RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION RAISED
We are able, in complete accord with Catholic teaching, to
respond in the affirmative to the question which was raised
above. Yes indeed, through the great mercy of our God, it is
possible that non-Catholics belong to the Soul of the Church by
an implicit desire, by a desire animated by perfect charity,
even though they do not belong to the visible Body of the
Church.
Are there many such? Only God Himself knows. "The works
of man, Ecclesiastes tells us, are in the hands of God, and man
knoweth not whether he be worthy of love or hatred" (IX:1).
Only Jesus, the good pastor "knows His sheep ... even those
that are not yet of His sheepfold" (John X:14&16). As for us,
if we truly love our master, we should hope that the number of
non-Catholics who belong to the soul of the Church will always
increase. And in order to be sure that such a desire is not
void of content, we should work as hard as we can to enlighten
such souls, above all in praying for them and in making
sacrifices in order that God might, by means of His Holy
Spirit, enlighten them so that they might be renewed in their
dispositions with regard to the true religion.
Now, even though these non-Catholics belong to Christ by
means of their union with the Soul of His Church, one should
nevertheless never forget that they are in a state "where no
one can be sure of his eternal salvation; for, as the Pope
assures us, they are deprived of those many and most important
supports and heavenly favors that can only be found within the
bosom of the Catholic Church" ("Mystici Corporis Christi").
Let us consider some of those helps of which they are deprived.
The Roman Catholic Church is HIS Church. It is the Church
to whom Our Lord confided all that He learned of His Father
(John XV:15), and it is the ministers of His Church that He
sent forth as His Father sent Him (John XX:21), to teach all
nations to observe EVERYTHING that He commanded (Matthew
XXVIII:19-20). Outside of this Church souls lack access to ALL
that He taught. Now Jesus warned His own that "if you continue
in my word ... you will know the truth and the truth will make
you free" (John VIII:31-32). Being separated from His Church,
non-Catholics are bound to be in error on one or more points.
Now, just as the truth frees and sanctifies those that accept
it (John XVII:17), so also is error the work of the devil which
enslaves those who follow it (John VIII:44).
It is also to HIS Church that Jesus confided the seven
sacraments; non-Catholics are deprived of this, and this
deprivation can only make their perseverance in the path of
salvation more precarious. While there is no doubt but that
some of the sects have preserved the priestly function intact
and this for them is a source of grace, unfortunately for them,
they use it in a reprehensible manner. For, in effect, it is
to HIS Church that the sacraments were confided, and not to
those who have broken away from her. In conferring on the
ministers that she ordains this inamissible power (i.e., a
power that cannot be lost), the Church is placing her
confidence in them. Never would she have confided this power
to them if she thought they would defect from her. Surely any
honest individual can understand that a person who leaves a
society no longer has the right to use those powers which said
society confided to him. If he does so in spite of this
defection, he is guilty of an abuse for which he will one day
have to answer.
Sacraments conferred under such circuмstances are
productive of [spiritual] life to those who accept them in
perfect good faith and place no obstacle to their reception.
For all others, they are productive of spiritual death.
Another support which is by no means the least of which
non Catholics - schismatics apart - are deprived is that of the
sacrament of penance. If even within the Church where one
enjoys the greatest of possible benefits, one must "work out
one's salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. II:12), how
much more one should tremble for the salvation of those who do
not belong to her body! The ability to commit mortal sin is
not limited to Catholics. Now it is a dogma of our faith that
every mortal sin which is not forgiven merits by its very
nature eternal hell. While it is easy to commit a mortal sin,
it is much more difficult to escape its effects. This is the
reason why Our Lord instituted the sacrament of penance which
the Fathers of the Church call a second baptism and the second
safeguard of salvation. While a Catholic who finds himself
incapable of achieving a state of perfect contrition can still
be forgiven by means of this sacrament of penance, the
non-Catholic who is deprived of this sacrament can only be
forgiven by attaining a state of perfect contrition.[6] From
this fact alone one can see how privileged, with regard to the
matter of salvation, are those who belong to the Body of the
Church and who as a result can so easily enjoy the treasures of
her graces. And as opposed to these, how disadvantaged are
those who are deprived of such favors! Pius XII spoke to us of
those who are in a state "where no one can be sure of his
eternal salvation". One should not be surprised that God
wished these facilities, and His Son has established HIS
Church, precisely to make salvation easier to those who wished
to enter it.
CONCLUSION
It is precisely because the true Church of Christ took
this dogma seriously that she has desired to be a missionary
Church since Apostolic times. In this she is but reflecting
the word of the Master who made her aware of the terrible
danger that those who do not know her to be the only Ark of
Salvation and continue to live in the darkness of idolatry, or
other religions, or in heresy and schism, run with regard to
their eternal salvation. This is why she sends forth so many
thousands of her sons and daughters at the risk of their lives
to enlighten non-believers.
And in so doing the Catholic Church is aware of the fact
that she is responding faithfully to the command of Our Lord:
"Go forth to all the nations and make disciples, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all those things which I have
commanded you. He who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but he who does not believe will be condemned" (Matt. XXVIII:
19-20; Mark XVI:16).
It is because of her faithfulness to her Lord that this
same Catholic Church has a special Mass entitled "De Progaganda
Fide" in her Missal, a Mass in which she recalls that "her Lord
is great and infinitely worthy of praise; for He is more
powerful than all the other gods. FOR ALL THE GODS OF THE
PEOPLES ARE ONLY DEMONS" (Tractus).
It is again because of her faithfulness to her Lord who
became flesh and offered himself on the Cross for the salvation
of all men that the Catholic Church multiplies her prayers and
beseeches her children to make sacrifices "in order that God
might provide workers for the harvest" (Matt. IX:38), and that
He might send His Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth
and enlighten those who are "seated in darkness and in the
shadow of death" (Luke I:79). The Apostle strongly recommends
this practice to his dear Timothy: "I desire first of all that
supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made
for all men ... for this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Saviour" (I Tim. II:1-3).
ENDNOTES:
[1] "In order to define and to describe this true Church of
Jesus Christ - that is to say the "holy Catholic Apostolic and
Roman Church" - one can find no finer expression, none that is
more divine, than "the Mystical Body of Christ" (Pope Pius XII,
Encyclical "Mystici Corporis Christi").
[2] Invincible ignorance of these dogmas is easily met with
among a people and clergy that are badly educated.
[3] Whosoever belongs to the Soul of the Church possesses the
Spirit of Jesus.
[4] "Oriens ex alto", a biblical expression designating the
Messiah (Cf. Zacharias VI:12), the splendor of the eternal
Light, the Sun of Justice "that enlighteneth EVERY MAN who
comes into the world" (John I:9).
[5] A footnote in The French Bible (of Fillion) tells us that
this Canticle is the most powerful expression of the most
intimate mercy of God who wishes to save all men.
[6] The distinction is easily seen if one considers the Act of
Contrition. An imperfect act of contrition is one which is
made because of the fear of the loss of heaven and the pains of
hell. A perfect act of contrition requires that it be for the
love of God (i.e., perfect charity) who is infinitely good and
worthy of all our love.
Topic: The salvation of those outside the Church (Read 6279 times)