The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-07-15
OUT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
THERE Is NO SALVATION.

1t is an act of the greatest charity
to proclaim this stern doctrine of
Jesus Christ and His blessed Apost-
les. Those who sincerely seek the
truth will receive it with grateful joy;
they will cease battling with the
dangerous waves of doubt and unbe-
lief, and willingly enter the secure
ship of the Church that will land them
safely on the shores of eternity.
Christ has founded His Church for
all men; it is His expressed will that
all should belong to it in order to be
saved. For this purpose, the Church
has received from Christ His own
doctrine, His means of grace, His
authority, and the assistance of the
Holy Ghost to keep her infallible and
interrupted in her teachings. Every
one is obliged to become member
of the Catholic Church at the risk of
eternal salvation. To despise the
Church is to despise Christ; to separ-
ate from the Church is to separate
from Christ And we know that with
out Christ no man can be saved. mo
man cometh to the Father but by
me" (St. John xiv. s.. For there is
no other name under heaven given to
men whereby we must be saved" (Acts
iv. 12). And Christ says: eff he will
not hear the Church, let him be to
thee as the heather and the pub.
lican" (St. Matth. xviii. 10. The
Catholic Church is the only saving
Church. "Whosoever is separated
from the Catholic Church, however
commendable in his own opinion his
life may be, he shall for this very
reason, that he is at the same time
separated from the unity of Christ,
not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him. (St. Augustine).
Now, all those are members Of the
Catholic Church who are baptized
and who have neither voluntarily sep
arated themselves nor been excluded
from her. Those who without their
own fault are heretics, that is, who
profess a doctrine condemned by the
Church, but who seek the truth and
strive to do the will of God, belong
to the soul of the Catholic Church,
though they remain separated from
her body. Those, however, who re.
fuse to find out the truth, through in
difference or other culpable motives,
and those, who know the Catholic
Church to be the true and only Church
of God, but who, for human considera.
ton, do not join her, separate them.
selves from Christ and forfeit their
eternal salvation. We must be
willing to sacrifice everything
friends, comfortable home, temporal
goods, prospects in business-in order
to follow Christ "He that loveth
father or mother more than Me, is
not worthy of Me" est. Matth. X. BY.
If God calls you to His Church, you
must obey the summons. 1t will not
do to be Catholic at heart: you are
obliged to profess your religion pub
licly: HE that shall be ashamed OF
Me and of My words, of him the Son of
man shall be ashamed when He shall
come in His majesty" Est. Luke tx.
26).
We are not allowed to Judge in a
particular case and say, this one or
own fault, and consequently beyond
the hope of heaven. God alone, who
is "searcher of hearts and reins," and
who Judges the secrets of mem
knows the individual guilt.
Will all Protestants be lost? God
forbid that any true Catholic should
ever think or say so. No. we all
know from experience that there are
many of our separated brethren who
are baptized and in invincible ignor
ance of the true Church, who firmly
belief in Christ and expect salvation
in His holy name. If, through nc
fault of their own, they remain out
side the body of the Church, they
will surely be saved, but only through
the Catholic Church, to whose SOU
they belong, for ''Out of the Catholic
Church there is no Salvation"
Bishop Stang.