Blogger friend Joel, a recent convert to Catholicism, is asking questions about salvation outside the Catholic Church, after hearing about a friend of his who was confirmed in a Tridentine Rite Church. It uses an older profession of faith that includes the statement "This same Catholic faith, outside of which nobody can be saved, which I now freely profess and to which I truly adhere." Joel asks, if this is true, if no one can be saved outside of the Catholic Church, then,
What then about the rest of my family? They are all still Evangelicals who reject the Church. . . . in the light of this profession, should I feel the "immediacy of the Gospel" to share with them as they are destined for Hell?
What then about the marks of grace in their life? I know them well and I see how God touches their lives. They truly love God and his written word and would surely die for his name's sake in a heartbeat if they had to. How then can we say that they are damned outside of the Church?
He asked me to take a look at his post and comment on it, and I did (along with others), and then thought it worth posting here. I’m sorry I don’t have time to reference anything from Church docs (tons of studying to do for classes tomorrow) and am working from memory. Everyone please feel free to add to or clarify what I say.
First: It remains true that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church.
But it is important to understand what this means. It does not mean that everyone has to literally be a Catholic to be saved. It means that all salvation comes from the Catholic Church, Christ's Body and beautiful channel of grace and life, because it comes from Christ who works in and through the Church. The grace of salvation in some invisible, mystical way flows from Christ through the Church to everyone who is saved.
The Catholic Church is more than just a building or an institution. It is the kingdom of God, founded by Christ, the City of God in which He resides, spreading from heaven all over the earth, through which Christ works on the earth. St. Augustine in City of God wrote that there are only two cities, the city of man and the City of God, and we belong to one or the other. The grace of Christ flows through the City of God to men all over the earth. “Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of the God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev 22:1-2)
Non-Catholic Christians, by virtue of their faith and baptism, are in some way joined to the Catholic Church, through incompletely, and receive their salvation from the Church. Quite literally actually, when you consider that their bible originated in the Catholic Church and their knowledge of Christ was received from the Catholic Church in the first place. Non-Christians who feel God’s law written in their hearts who sincerely try to live by it, even if they understand it incompletely, can also be saved, by the same grace of Christ flowing from the great river of grace through the Church to the world.
If those outside the Catholic Church fall into mortal sin, they must have real repentance for it, true contrition in their hearts. God will not reject those who are truly repentant. It is more difficult for those who do not have the grace of the sacrament of confession to truly overcome their sins and grow in grace, but they will not be rejected if they are sincerely repentant, and sincerely trying to do better. And as you say, whatever they are unable to do in this life will be completed for them (and all of us who need it) in purgatory.
Your relatives, if they truly love Christ and are doing their best to follow him, will likely go to heaven. But if they were to become Catholic, and really live the Catholic life, they would receive so much more grace in the process. There is a reward in heaven, and it is possible that non-Catholic Christians who live as fully for Christ as they can will receive a greater reward than Catholic Christians who don’t, who take their faith for granted and live a lukewarm life in the Lord. These latter may make it into heaven, but their works may be burned up like so much straw, and their reward will be little (1 Cor 3:12-15).
But Catholics who strive their utmost, who live the faith fully, partake of the sacraments with fervor, live the way of the cross, allow themselves to be humbled and purified, pour themselves out for the sake of others, that others would also know the Lord, really abandon themselves to the Lord in every way? If this is truly done in and for the Lord, with little thought of the self – then great will be their reward.
And it is not only about going to heaven. It is about being as close to Christ as possible while on earth, and living the fullest, richest life possible for Christ here on earth. And that is most possible, most abundantly possible, when lived out in the midst of the holy Catholic Church in which Christ dwells and acts and pours Himself out, globally and historically. His holy Church is permeated with Himself and with heaven, surrounded and filled with the great communion of saints and the entire host of angels, overflowing with all the wonderful graces and knowledge and riches available here, for free for anyone who would come.
How could we be closer to Christ than when ingrafted into His original Body, in which He dwells bodily in the Tabernacle, whose hand uplifts in the priest’s hand in the absolution of confession, constantly washing us clean of sin, Who gives Himself bodily not only on the cross but in the Holy Eucharist, whom we partake of so He may dwell in us bodily – making us His tabernacles, His temples? How could we feel closer to Christ, than when we feel Him dwelling in us, in that most close, personal way immediately after Holy Communion, in the Eucharist?
And how could we learn better to follow and live for Christ, than when taught by the Church out of her great storehouse of wisdom grown up over the ages, and modeled for us in the examples of all the great men and women of Christ, the saints and doctors and mystics, from every age of the Church - our wonderful elders in the faith, whom scripture tells us to imitate? (Heb 6:12, 13:7) I know I couldn't, not nearly like how I have since I entered the Catholic Church. And what a grace and a blessing it has been - unendingly. The Church truly is an inexhaustible storehouse of wisdom, for those who care to look. There is enough for many lifetimes over, here in this beautiful Catholic Church. There is enough for eternity.
So, we should still witness to others, Christian or not, about the beauty of Catholicism, the wonderful and abundant graces available here for all who would come and partake. For one thing, we should never assume anyone is saved, for only God can truly know that of another; and regardless, we should know that they would be so helped in their journey of faith, if only they would come and partake. Most of all, they would know the joy of being truly One with Christ our Lord and his Body, the true and original vine that is the Catholic Church, and all who are in union with her, and which is the great desire of all who truly love and follow Christ.
Happy Easter, everyone! The Lord is risen, He is truly risen! Alleluia! I pray that everyone will know not only the beauty of the grace and life of Christ, but the beautiful grace of the fullness of the life of faith lived out in His beautiful Church.
