Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
Theoretically, this question encompasses the ideas of God’s will, our free will, God’s grace, salvation, predestination, and eternal security. It has been prayed about, reflected upon, and debated. Some have sought to answer it appealing to God’s infinite mercy and love and concluding that every human being will spend eternity with God no matter what they say or do. Others, taking certain passages of the bible literally, have limited it to only 144,000 who are predestined to be saved. Some believe that once you say the right prayer, your eternal destiny is guaranteed. Others, that you can “lose” your salvation. Some see it as a single event in your life, whether through confession of belief or through water baptism, and others see it as an unfolding process that culminates with judgement at your death. In any case, it is a significant question.
The Catholic Church understands salvation as initiated by God’s action in history, beginning with creation, finding its climax in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, who gave his life in love for all, and continuing through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church. While it is God’s will for all to spend eternity with him, that doesn’t overwhelm our need and capacity to freely choose to respond to God’s initiative. St. Augustine put it this way, “God who created you without you, will not save you without you.” As a process that continues through the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, the body of Christ, the once and continuing action of Jesus is necessary for salvation and, as his body, the Church is necessary for salvation. Baptism, as the first sacrament of initiation, is the doorway through which we pass to enter the Church. The Church affirms an ancient axiom: extra ecclesiam nulla salus. “Outside the Church there is no salvation” means that all salvation comes from Jesus Christ through the Church, but that action is not limited necessarily to those who are baptized Catholics. The fullness of the means of salvation is found within the Catholic Church, but elements can be found within other churches and Christian communities. As a practical example, we do not baptize again those seeking to become Catholic who have previously received water baptism in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. From early centuries, the Church has also recognized that some who have not been baptized may be saved through their desire. Again, a practical example is that a person preparing to be baptized Catholic who unfortunately dies before their baptism can have a Catholic funeral mass. Further, those who, through no fault of their own, have no knowledge of Jesus or have not had a credible witness of that knowledge receive a grace, still from Christ and connected to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, to enlighten them to the truth within their particular situation and to give them the capacity to respond to the truth as they know it. In short, God desires all to be saved and gives every person the opportunity through knowledge of truth and right action to come to salvation.
In all cases, however, God will not save us without us. God’s will, grace, and mercy do not overwhelm us. Our choice is essential. Within the depths of our hearts and lived out in our actions, we say yes to God’s initiative. While firmly holding to the reality of hell as a sign of our capacity to reject God, the Church has never officially identified any particular people as being in hell. This is because God alone is the judge and knows the depths of the human heart. His mercy endures forever. The Fatima prayer between decades of the Rosary includes the petition, “lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.” Our faith in a merciful God gives us hope that each person can respond to God’s grace and live in his eternal love.
Jesus, as he often does, makes the theoretical question personal. His response turns the question to each of us. What about me? Have I accepted the invitation and entered the narrow door? In my heart and in my actions, have I said yes to God?