There is no salvation except through the Catholic Church. That is the Church's teaching called Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus which means "Outside the Church there is no salvation." This does not mean that everyone who is not visibly Catholic is lost, but rather that if they are saved it is through the Graces that come to Mankind through Our Lord and His Church. No one is saved through the Protestant churches or through Buddhism or through Islam. If they are saved it is through Christ and His Catholic Church even if they do not realize it. https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm
Of course, Jesus being the Word of God, how could it be otherwise.....thanks be to God we have a loving Father! Peace Mark
Yes Padre Pio famously said that Jesus at the pint of death comes to people and offers them a choice. I woudl like to think of this too as a last chance to join the Church. I think in terms of moral theology there is a term , for instance of , 'Infallible Ignorance.' I also remember Pope Benedict as Caridnal Ratzinger mentioning that it was wrong to speak of other Relgiosn being , 'Other churches' since there is and could only be one true Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. Iw as thinkign about this last night whenI was listneing to a programme on Dante Inferno. Dante visits hell and is guided by the Classical Roman Poet Virgil. Dante places the classical poets such as Horace and Virgil in a kind of Eteranl Limbo for all eternity because they lived in a time before the coming of Christ. But I don;t know this seems unkind. After Christ's death we Catholics peak of the, 'Raking of Hell', when Christ visits the living and the dead. There is huge mystery in all this but persoanlly I like to thinkk the door is kept a little ajar; even ofr the most hardened sinners.
I think Mark sometimes there is a knee-jerk reaction to some of the things you write because at the moment the teachings of the Church are under attack from within and the things you write about are often the things that those in the hierarchy are misusing to mislead the faithful. It's not that they are not true, but it is that they are the kinds of things that are being twisted by those within the Church right now to mean something they were never intended to. "Interreligious dialogue" is used by many to water down Catholic teaching and dilute it with heresy. I know that is not what you are saying, but since your writings seem to tend towards the mystical/emotional/experiential the lines are more blurry than they are with straight out of the catechism teachings. Right now blurry makes people nervous because the blurry lines are what are being used by those in the Church to confuse and mislead the faithful. There is nothing wrong at all with interreligious dialogue if it is properly understood. The ultimate goal of it though, if understood in a Catholic sense, is the conversion of all non-Catholics to Catholicism. Realistically that isn't going to happen, but it is the mandate that was given the Church to go forth and convert all nations. The "Law of Graduality" is related to what you are conveying here, which basically states that God draws people close slowly in most cases. Yes, there are those amazing on the spot dramatic conversions, but those are not the norm. Unfortunately, the Law of Graduality was misused quite a bit during the Synods on the Family to mean something it was never intended to. To say that people living in objective states of mortal sin could receive Holy Communion worthily, something the Church has never allowed. People are wary now of blurred lines. It is sad that faithful Catholics have to be on our guard now, but it is the only way we can protect our faith.
Thank you. Yes living in a Monastery for as long as I have can distance me from what the faithful have to go through on a day to day basis. I am not offended when people react to what I write.......at best communication is diffiuclt. Peace Mark
This makes complete sense. I have a rule. If 1+1 doesn't equal 2, I dont go with it. You know, when I was in Hong Kong I was led into a temple and within 10 seconds I was on my way out. I can not put myself around false gods. I steer clear from anything that could be a lie.
I think you made a math error there I think you're right though, best to stay away from participating in any other kinds of rituals/faiths.
Padraig Frank Kelly gave great insight either at his mens retreat or healing service once. He said God comes to us 3 times before we die to get us to repent. This means through knowledge from the Trinity, The angels, or most likely through the people around us. The second sentence is more my opinion. the first sentence is more paraphrasing what he said its been a few months.
