Many of my non-Catholic friends have asked me about Vatican’s recent statement on the Church and those outside the Church. How do I respond?
A lot has been said about the Vatican’s “Responses to some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church,” issued July 10th by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Rather than go over the same ground, let me get to what I think is at the heart of this, salvation, and cover some of the basic principles of our faith involved.
1) Salvation comes from Jesus Christ alone.
“There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
We are only saved through Christ by His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection. If we believed salvation came through any other person or path, then Christ’s sacrifice would have been for nothing. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (Jn 14:6)
2) Salvation is possible for all people.
“God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4)
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) of the Second Vatican Council states: “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.”
How is salvation possible for anyone, even those who do not believe in Christ? This seems like a paradox.
3) Salvation is through grace.
“But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:11) (see also Eph 2:5 & 8)
Grace is a free gift of God which we do not earn. God is free to give grace to whom He wills. It is up to us how we respond to that grace. We believe that God is generous with His grace. We believe that God’s grace poured out on us through Christ is operative not only in the Catholic Church but through anything that is true, good, and noble. Therefore, salvation is possible for those “visibly” outside the Catholic Church when they seek in good faith whatever is true, good, and noble.
However, this does not mean that we believe one way or religion or “church” is as good as another. We believe the fullness of the means of salvation is present only in the Catholic Church which has preserved Apostolic Succession and the Sacraments along with faith in Christ. It can offend others to say, “We have the truth, you do not.” Yet, we acknowledge whatever is true in other religions, and we respect and encourage those who do not believe as we do to follow in their lives that truth. If a person believes that their faith or religion is true, why would they be offended when we say that ours is true? If they do not believe their faith or religion is true, then they should seek the truth elsewhere.
We are bound to follow the Church that Christ established for us, yet God is not bound as we are. All is grace. We should remember, “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required.” (Lk 12:48)
-Fr. Greg
