The Narrow Door: Salvation Outside the Church?

Father Kevin with Mary when she was born.

From Father Kevin this Sunday:

Dear Friends in Christ

The Readings at Mass this Sunday speak about the universality of salvation; that is, how God intends everyone to be saved and reached Heaven. The Gospel in particular raises the question of who will be saved? This is a sensitive thought in an age where there is wide spread religion indifferentism and relativism. Many people in our society—even those who believe in God—hold the notion that one religion of philosophy of life is as good as another; the basic criterion for many nowadays is that my truth is as good as your truth.

For the Christian, that cannot be so. We believe in one Person, Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is the unique revelation of God and is Himself The Way, the Truth and The Life, There is no salvation possible outside of Christ who is the one Saviour. However, this involves us often having to hold two truths in a kind of tension: the teaching of St. Paul that God wants everyone to be saved and, on the other hand, the ancient teaching of the Church that outside of the Church there is no salvation. God will never let anyone be lost through ignorance of the Him. What we may never do is know Christ and then reject Him or chose some other more appealing way of life over Him. God has made us members of His Body, members of His family the Church. Our vocation is to strive to live faithfully this vocation, and strive also to bring others into the boat of Peter, Christ's Church.

Fr. Kevin Hale
Parish Priest.
Our Lady of Lourdes & St. Joseph
Leigh-on-Sea
Essex.

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