Making Satisfaction for the Sins of Others
Victor R. Claveau, MJ This doctrine of the Church is an echo of Scripture and Tradition. The Old Testament is a history of the relations between God and Israel. This history is in a great measure the recital of the blessings that God bestowed upon this group of people as a reward for their fidelity […]
Can we Forfeit Salvation?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ In Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin [what we earn] is death, the free gift of God [what we do not earn] is eternal life.” And several times in St. Paul, e.g., in 1 Cor. 6:10, we see that we “inherit” the kingdom. Now when we inherit from our parents, we […]
Justification by Faith Alone
Victor R. Claveau, MJ To those who have adopted the hypotheses of the Reformers respecting original sin, free will, predestination and the inefficacy of good works as cooperative means of salvation, the following pertinent questions must be asked: Who are to be saved? How is salvation to be secured? Who can be assured of salvation? A few […]
“There Is No Salvation Outside the Church.”
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Second Vatican Council teaches that the membership in the Church is necessary for salvation. Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation. He is present to us in His body, which is the Church. He explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism. […]
Is It Arrogant to Say Christ Is the Only Savior? Asks Cardinal Ratzinger
ZENIT Is it pretentious for Christians to proclaim Christ as the only Savior of mankind? Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger posed that question Saturday, and in his response clarified the very meaning of the Christian mission. MURCIA, Spain, DEC. 2, 2002 (Zenit.org).- The cardinal was addressing the congress on “Christ: Way, Truth and Life,” which brought together […]
Grace Alone
DEAL W. HUDSON As one who was born and raised a Protestant and became a Southern Baptist minister before entering the Roman Catholic Church, I am perplexed by the evangelical Protestant charge that Catholics misunderstand salvation. The constant teaching of the Catholic Church throughout the ages has been that salvation is bestowed alone by God’s […]
What it means to be saved
FR. LEONARD M. PEUCH, O.F.M. Someone asked me recently whether it was possible to know if one were saved. To understand the question, you must remember the two-fold meaning of the expression, “to be saved.” Normally, it means to have escaped hell and to have been admitted to heaven. At times, however, it expressed the […]
Faith and Works
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Does the Catholic Church teach that a person can work their way into heaven? Answer: No! As a matter of fact the Church actually condemns this proposition: The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent.[1] During the Sixth Session held on 13 January, 1547, Canon 1 concerning Justification stated: “If anyone says that man can be justified before God […]
Being Born Again
Victor R. Claveau, MJ “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew [or from above], he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus […]
Are Catholics Born Again?
MARK BRUMLEY “Have you been born again?” the Fundamentalist at the door asks the unsuspecting Catholic. The question is usually a segue into a vast doctrinal campaign that leads many ill-instructed Catholics out of the Catholic Church. How? By making them think there is a conflict between the Bible and the Catholic Church over being […]