The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-06-21


A the question of our esteemed
~ correspondent is not fully under
stood by many, and embraces
many delicate points, we will preface
by stating that when our divine Lord
told his diciples that he would give
them his flesh to eat and his blood to
drink, they said amongst themselves:
This is a hard saying, and who can
believe it, and many of his disciples
left him and walked no longer with
him.
Scripture does not tell us that he
called them back and explain that he
only meant a figure" of his flesh and
blood. No, for he meant what he said,
and so they left him and walked no
longer with him.
The would-be Christians of TODAY.
too, find many hard saying, but there
is scarcely any saying or claim of the
church of God that they seem to find
so hard as when the Catholic church
informs them that outside it there is no
salvation
In their eyes it has always been an
unwarranted assumption to say that
none would enter heaven unless they
belonged to this particular church.
The Catholic church does not invent
new doctrines, but bears witness to
those already taught by Christ and his
apostles. The apostles have included
in their creed, which is the sum of our
belief, the doctrine: Il believe in the
holy Catholic church" This church
alone processes "one faith, zone Lord,
one baptism" (Eph. iv, 81, He
that believes it and is baptized
shall be saved, he that believes it not
shall be condemned Mark Xxx, 16).
Nothing could be clearer or palmer.
This the church teaches and explains.
and nothing more.
Still, in explaining and teaching this
doctrine handed down to us by Christ
and his apostles, it is of the utmost
Importance that Catholics. and all fair
minded inquiring non-Catholics should
understand this teaching Alright.
When the Catholic church teaches
that outside it there is no salvation, it
is only another way of saying we must
believe in the holy Catholic church, -
as the apostles in their creed teach us,
and that as members of this church we
must profess the "one faith in order
to be saved, as ''he that believes it not
shall be condemned" mark XVI, 100.
Both forms of expression mean and
come to one and the same thing. The
Catholic church teaches nothing new
in saying that outside it no one can
be saved, for it is the clear and most
explicit declaration of her divine
founder.
There is no such thing in the whole
of the scripture as a permission to Sc
lect or invent religion to suit our
own circumstances or character, or
fancy, under our feeble human reason
ing.
On this point the church teaches
nothing more or less than Christ him
self
But the Catholic church does not say,
at the same time, that "all' outside
it will therefore be lost-nothing of the
kind.
1t teaches distinctly that there is one
circumstance which would excuse and
which is invincible ignorance or a moral
impossibility of recognising the claims
of the church.
1t also teaches that ~ whether on
account of such ignorance or inability,
or any other reason whatsoever, there
is nothing more unfortunate than to
live outside the pale of the Catholic
church.
.. 1t teaches that man who will
wilfully remain outside the pale of the
Catholic church. either through will
full ignorance or gross neglect and
indifference" will most certainly be
lost shoul he, persevere and die in
that state.
What a matter for consideration for
any non Catholic who is conscientious
and knows what is at stake!
8. A man who is out of visible" uni
ty with the Catholic church through in
vincible ignorance and through no fault