Let Us Pray for Memory

As I promised earlier, I am returning to the subject of Pope Francis and the Holy Ghost.

Who is the Holy Ghost?  What memory of Him do you have? 

On the Monday before Pentecost, the Holy Father set the tone for the week.

He focused on the Holy Spirit who, he said, helps Christians remember the history of the faith and the gifts God has given. Without this grace, he said, the faithful risk slipping into idolatry.
Many Christians don’t know who the Holy Spirit is or what he is, he said, and the Holy Spirit “is always somewhat ‘the unknown’ of the faith.” And yet, he continued, the Holy Spirit is “God active in us” and “awakens our memory” of how Christ redeemed us of our misery and sin.
Without this memory, a Christian is not a true Christian, but becomes an “idolator,” the Pope went on, a “prisoner of circumstance, a man or woman who has no history.” To remember the grace of God is especially important, he said, when, for example, “a little vanity creeps in, when someone believes themselves to be a winner of the Nobel Prize for Holiness.”
The Holy Father concluded with an invitation to Christians to ask for the grace of memory, so that “they will not forget that they were slaves, and the Lord has saved them.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-and-the-holy-spirit#ixzz2UMwsRofo 

I'm impressed with the point that one who does not "remember" who the Holy Ghost is - is not really a true Christian, but an idolator!   Can one be "saved" who is considered to be an idolator?  Methinks not.  This leads us to a more recent statement from one of Pope Francis' daily homilies, wherein some think the Pope is teaching Universalism.  As an example, here is one such blog/article which apparently is attempting to draw that conclusion:

Catholicism gone catholic

According to Il Papa:
[Pope Francis] told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus.
"Even them, everyone," the pope answered, according to Vatican Radio. "We all have the duty to do good," he said.
"Just do good, and we'll find a meeting point," the pope said in a hypothetical reply to the hypothetical comment...
Of course, if Jesus has "redeemed" "everyone" including atheists, then why is doing good a "duty"? Why bother to do good?
Or are we all redeemed, but some are more redeemed than others?
If so, then I suppose one can do good to merit a bigger mansion in heaven. Or a place closer to the throne of God.
Okay, but still, what's wrong with the atheist who says, "Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin in this world, and have a lower place in heaven, thankyouverymuch"?

I responded on that blog with this:

Scott5/26/2013 12:16 AM

Brian said: Yeah, I was just speaking of the inceasing number of Catholics who believe in Universal Salvation, including apparently now the Pope.

sw: First off, this pope dies not believe in Universalism. Just because he stated the fact that Atheists are redeemed does not mean Athiests are or will be saved. To be redeemed simply means that the price for someone's redemption has been paid - and that price HAS been paid by Jesus Christ - for everyone, including Atheists. The difference between an Atheist and a true Christian is that the true Christian ACCEPTS this FREE GIFT or GRACE, the Atheist rejects it. 

sw: Secondly, the context of the statement - which Patrick actually kind of includes here - does not say Atheists can be saved by doing good - only that we are ALL, Atheists included, commanded to do good. If the Atheist does good, Pope Francis is saying, then he and they can meet in that place, of doing good. A starting point, or common ground upon which to plant seeds and grow fruit. 

sw: Thirdly, this pope has actually taught a form of "EENS" (Latin acronym of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla salus - or Outside the Church there is No Salvation). Pope Francis said that people cannot be fully united to Jesus outside of the Church during a Mass to commemorate Saint George, the saint he is named after. “You cannot find Jesus outside the Church,” he said April 23 in the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel.

Jimmy Akin responds here:  http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/did-pope-francis-say-that-atheists-can-get-to-heaven-by-good-works

It will be interesting to see how much more "spin" is put on this out-of-context statement from Pope Francis.

Pope Francis, Jesus Not Found Outside the Church

Pope Francis said that people cannot be fully united to Jesus outside of the Church during a Mass to commemorate Saint George, the saint he is named after.

“You cannot find Jesus outside the Church,” he said April 23 in the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel.

“It is the Mother Church who gives us Jesus, who gives us the identity that is not only a seal, it is a belonging,” he declared in his homily.

The pontiff spoke about Christian identity as well as persecution, making it the sixth time in two weeks he has mentioned those who suffer for the faith.

Speaking about the Gospel reading for today from Saint John, Pope Francis underscored that “the missionary expansion of the Church began precisely at a time of persecution.”

“They had this apostolic fervor within them, and that is how the faith spread!” he exclaimed.

It was through the Holy Spirit’s initiative that the Gospel was proclaimed to the Gentiles, the Pope noted, and the Spirit “pushes more and more in this direction of opening the proclamation of the Gospel to all.”

The pontiff also repeated a line from his April 17 homily in St. Martha’s residence, when he emphasized that being a Christian is not like having “an identity card.”

“Christian identity is belonging to the Church, because all of these (the apostles) belonged to the Church, the Mother Church, because finding Jesus outside the Church is impossible,” he said.

“The great Paul VI said it is an absurd dichotomy to want to live with Jesus but without the Church, following Jesus out of the Church, loving Jesus without the Church,” he added.

Pope Francis said that “if we are not sheep of Jesus, faith does not come” and that it is “a rosewater faith and a faith without substance.”

The Pope also commented on Barnabas, who was sent to Antioch and was glad to see that the grace of God had encouraged people there to remain true disciples.

“Let us think of the consolations that Barnabas had, which is the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing,” he preached.

“Let us ask the Lord for this frankness, this apostolic fervor that impels us to move forward, as brothers, all of us forward,” he remarked.

After the Mass in the papal chapel, the Swiss Guard band offered a brief musical performance in the Courtyard of Saint Damaso for the Pope’s name day.

Read more: http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=7508

Outside the Church

There is no salvation outside the Church.  While Aquinas stressed the necessity of Church membership for entrance into eternal life, he also saw the possibility of people who where unable to be baptized into the faith, “who nonetheless had a desire either to be baptized or at least to be saved and were essentially willing to do whatever God wanted them to do for salvation.”  But being taught a certain truth all their lives, they are unable to see the falsehood of that teaching.  The possibility of salvation for those individuals was called by Aquinas to be through ‘baptism of desire’.

He says that such a one ‘can obtain salvation without being actually baptized, on account of the person’s desire for baptism, which desire is the outcome of faith that works through charity, whereby God, Whose power is not tied to visible sacraments, sanctifies a person inwardly’ (Summa Theologiae III, q.68, a.2).

God is not bound to the sacraments.  He Who made sacraments is likewise free to bestow His grace in other ways.

Pope Pius IX making this most nuanced statement in Singulari Quadam: “It is known to Us and to you that those who labor in invincible ignorance concerning our most holy religion and who, assiduously observing the natural law and its precepts which God has inscribed in the hearts of all, and being ready to obey God, live an honest and upright life can, through the working of the divine light and grace, attain eternal life.”

And finally in Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Redemptoris Missio, our Vicar of Christ states also that: “Salvation in Christ is offered to all.  The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church.  Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all.  But it is clear that today, as in the past, many people do not have an opportunity to come to know or accept the gospel revelation or to enter the Church…For such people salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of grace, which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation.  This grace comes from Christ…”

As you well know, a doctrine has growth as our understanding grows and deepens. Although early on our Church Fathers damned people to hell for not being baptized (ie visibly part of our Church), the line where someone can be part of the Church is found to include a much larger group of people than originally thought because Jesus Himself said that an individual will be judged by what he knows and not blame him for his honest ignorance (John 15:22).  Some may not be formally part of it but still inside the Church.

PS
Please read paragraphs 1260 and 1281 of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church for more info.

Infant Baptism Questions

Let me make this article one full of questions - and really ask more questions than provide answers.   Who out there has the courage, will and fortitude to answer? I look forward to the comments, and I will add my own comments and answers, as best I can give, as well.

What happens to unbaptized babies?  Do they go straight to Hell?  Does God show mercy and allow them into Heaven, or perhaps even Limbo?

That being said, we've seen many "Evangelicals" condemn the practice of infant baptism - so I ask them, what happens to these baptized infants?  These infants have made no cognitive decision to be a Christian, so are they condemned to Hell in the eyes of these "Evangelicals?"  Or, do said "Evangelicals" believe that everyone goes to Heaven if they die prior to the "age of reason" since they could not possibly be held culpable for sins?

I wrote this after reading through:  http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2011/04/fate-of-unbaptized-babies.html

EENS Continued Discussion

The EENS Question (continued...)

I must emphasize again that whereas the teaching of EENS is dogma and hence cannot be denied - the "exceptions" are NOT dogma, and MAY be denied. That is why I do not condemned those who take the "rigorist" position, including Fr. Feeney. The REAL point though, with regard to the alleged "exceptions" is that NONE of them say anyone WILL be saved! They only say that some CAN or MAY be saved. God remains the Judge, as it should be.

There may be some whom those taking the "liberal" understanding would judge as "Invincibly Ignorant" and hope and pray for their salvation - BUT GOD, who knows their heart, may judge that they are damned, regardless of how any of us may feel.

What Stand Should Faithful Catholics Take?

Simply put, GOD IS THE JUDGE. That is our stance. Our DUTY is to preach THE WAY of Salvation which Jesus Christ established. Jesus Christ built His Church, ONE CHURCH, not countless denominations which disagree on many fundamental issues. We can in NO WAY be supportive of ANYONE who WILLFULLY remains outside the Catholic Church. For those who don't know of the Church and/or have never been given the opportunity to become a member of the Church, we need to leave those to God's Sovereignty - and stop trying to usurp His Throne/Judgment Seat. We can give NO ASSURANCE to ANYONE who remains outside the Catholic Church. When WE are asked about OUR FAITH we are to share the joy which is in our hearts and THE PATH which WE KNOW, and we need to do this with charity and understanding (1 Peter 3:15-17).

In JMJ,
Scott<<<

Baptism of Desire

Since the subject of EENS has come to the forefront here, I thought I'd throw in the related topic of Baptism of Desire, aka: BOD.  BOD comes into play when someone seeks to be in communion with God yet for whatever reason is prevented from actually receiving the Sacrament of Baptism.  BOD is also related to Baptism by Blood.  I share this compilation from Dr. Ludwig Ott:

4. The Necessity of Baptism 

1. Necessity of Baptism for Salvation

Baptism by water (Baptismus fluminis) is, Since the promulgation of the Gospel, necessary for all men without exception, for salvation. (De fide.) The Council of Trent declared against the Reformers, whose idea of justification led them to deny it, the necessity of Baptism for salvation: Si quis dixerit, baptismum liberum esse, hoc est non necessarium ad salutem, A.S. D 861 Cf. D 791. As to the moment of the beginning of the baptismal obligation, the Council of Trent declared that after the promulgation of the Gospel B (post Evangelium promulgatum) there could be no justification without Baptism or the desire for the same. D 796. The necessity of Baptism for salvation is, according to John 3, 5 and Mk. 16, 16, a necessity of means (necessitas medii), and, according to Mt. 28, 19, also a necessity or precept (necessitas praecepti). The necessity of means does not derive from the | intrinsic nature of the Sacrament itself, but from the designation of Baptism as an indispensable means of salvation by a positive ordinance of God. In J special circumstances the actual use of the prescribed means can be dispensed with (hypothetical necessity).

Tradition, in view of John 3, 5, strongly stresses the necessity of Baptism for salvation. Tertullian, invoking these words, observes: " It is determined by law that nobody can be saved without baptism " (De bapt. 12, I). Cf. Pastor Hermae, Sim. IX 16. 2.

Substitutes for Sacramental Baptism

In case of emergency Baptism by water can be replaced by Baptism of desire or Baptism by blood. (Sent. fidei prox.)

a) Baptism of desire (Baptismus flaminis sive Spiritus Sancti) Baptism of desire is the explicit or implicit desire for sacramental baptism (votum baptismi) associated with perfect contrition (contrition based on charity).

The Council of Trent teaches that justification from original sin is not possible " without the washing unto regeneration or the desire for the same."

According to the teaching of Holy Writ, perfect love possesses justifying power. Luke 7, 47: "Many sins are forgiven her because she hath loved much." John 14, 21: " He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father: l and I will love him and will manifest myself to him." Luke 23, 43 • " This , day thou shalt be with me in Paradise."

The chief witnesses from Tradition are St. Ambrose and St. Augustine. In the funeral oration on the Emperor Valentine II, who died without Baptism, St. Ambrose says: " Should he not acquire the grace for which he longed? Certainly: As he desired it, he has attained it . . . His pious desire has absolved him " (De obitu Valent. 51, 53). St. Augustine declared: " I find that not only suffering for the sake of Christ can replace that which is lacking in Baptism, but also faith and conversion of the heart (fidem conversionemque cordis), if perhaps the shortness of the time does not permit the celebration of the mystery , of Baptism " (De bapt. IV 22, 29). In the period of early Scholasticism St. ! Bernard of Clairvaux (Ep. 77 c. 2 n. 6-9), Hugo of St. Victor (De sacr. 116, 7) and the Summa Sententiarum (V 5) defended the possibility of Baptism of desire against Peter Abelard. Cf. S. th. III 68, 2.

Baptism of desire works ex opere operantis. It bestows Sanctifying Grace, which remits original sin, all actual sins, and the eternal punishments for sin. Venial sins and temporal punishments for sin are remitted according to the intensity of the subjective disposition. The baptismal character is not imprinted nor is it the gateway to the other sacraments.

b) Baptism of blood (baptismus sanguinis)

Baptism of blood signifies martyrdom of an umbaptised person, that is, the patient bearing of a violent death or of an assault which of its nature leads to death, by reason of one's confession of the Christian faith, or one's practice of Christian virtue.

Jesus Himself attests the justifying power of martyrdom. Mt. to, 32: " Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in Heaven." Mt. 10 39 (16, 25): " He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me shall find it." John 11 12, 25: " He that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal."

From the beginning the Fathers regarded martyrdom as a substitute for Baptism. Tertullian calls it "blood Baptism" (lavacrum sanguinis) and ascribes to it the effect of "taking the place of the baptismal bath if it was not received, and restoring that which was lost" (De bapt. I6). According to St. Cyprian, the catechumens who suffer martyrdom receive " the glorious and most sublime blood-Baptism" (Ep. 73, 22). Cf. Augustine, De civ. Dei XIII 7.

As, according to the testimony of Tradition and of the Church Liturgy (cf. Feast of the Innocents), young children can also receive blood-Baptism, blood-Baptism operates not merely ex opere operantis as does Baptism of desire, but since it is an objective confession of Faith it operates also quasi ex opere operato. It confers the grace of justification, and when proper dispositions are present, also the remission of all venial sins and temporal punishments. St. Augustine says: " It is an affront to a martyr to pray for him; we should rather recommend ourselves to his prayers " (Sermo 159 I.) Baptism by blood does not confer the baptismal character. Cf. S. th. III 66, 11 and 12.  (Qtd. at: http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/BAPTISM.TXT)

My point in bringing this up is to demonstrate that the "rigorist" view of EENS is not absolute throughout Church teaching.  

In JMJ,
Scott<<<

The EENS Question

Outside The Church There Is No Salvation

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The doctrine that "Outside the Church there is no salvation" is one that is constantly misinterpreted by those who won't submit to the Magisterium of the Church. Faith does not depend upon our ability to reason to the truth but on our humility before the Truth presented to us by those to whom Christ entrusted that task. This is why the First Vatican Council taught that it is the task of the Magisterium ALONE to determine and expound the meaning of the Tradition - including "outside the Church no salvation."
Concerning this doctrine the Pope of Vatican I, Pius IX, spoke on two different occasions. In an allocution (address to an audience) on December 9th, 1854 he said:

We must hold as of the faith, that out of the Apostolic Roman Church there is no salvation; that she is the only ark of safety, and whosoever is not in her perishes in the deluge; we must also, on the other hand, recognize with certainty that those who are invincible in ignorance of the true religion are not guilty for this in the eyes of the Lord. And who would presume to mark out the limits of this ignorance according to the character and diversity of peoples, countries, minds and the rest?

[I could not find the text of the above document, but here's a document given March 17, 1856:

Do not cease to diligently defend your people against these pernicious errors. Saturate them with the doctrine of Catholic truth more accurately each day. Teach them that just as there is only one God, one Christ, one Holy Spirit, so there is also only one truth which is divinely revealed. There is only one divine faith which is the beginning of salvation for mankind and the basis of all justification, the faith by which the just person lives and without which it is impossible to please God and to come to the community of His children.  There is only one true, holy, Catholic church, which is the Apostolic Roman Church. There is only one See founded in Peter by the word of the Lord, outside of which we cannot find either true faith or eternal salvation. He who does not have the Church for a mother cannot have God for a father, and whoever abandons the See of Peter on which the Church is established trusts falsely that he is in the Church.  Thus, there can be no greater crime, no more hideous stain than to stand up against Christ, than to divide the Church engendered and purchased by His blood, than to forget evangelical love and to combat with the furor of hostile discord the harmony of the people of God.  Singulari quidem, March 17, 1856  (emphasis mine).

Again, in his encyclical Quanto conficiamur moerore of 10 August, 1863 addressed to the Italian bishops, he said:

It is known to us and to you that those who are in invincible ignorance of our most holy religion, but who observe carefully the natural law, and the precepts graven by God upon the hearts of all men, and who being disposed to obey God lead an honest and upright life, may, aided by the light of divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God who sees clearly, searches and knows the heart, the disposition, the thoughts and intentions of each, in His supreme mercy and goodness by no means permits that anyone suffer eternal punishment, who has not of his own free will fallen into sin.  [Emphasis mine].

These statements are consistent with the understanding of the Church contained in the documents of Vatican II, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as well as explaining why the rigorist position of Fr. Feeney (that all must be actual members of the Catholic Church to be saved) has been condemned by the Magisterium. It is ironic that precisely those who know their obligation to remain united to the Magisterium, and thus on whom this doctrine is morally binding, keep themselves from union with the Roman See on this point.

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Answered by Colin B. Donovan, STL
http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/outside_the_church.htm
Emphasis and added links by Scott Windsor