Dail Mass Gospel Reflection - Entering Through The Gate

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus identifies himself as the sheepgate and says,
"Whoever enters through me will be saved."
Well, does this mean that only explicit Christians will be saved?
Does it mean that unless you are baptized, you don’t receive the Holy Spirit?

There are two extremes to be avoided here.
On the one hand, the exclusivist claim that only baptized Catholics can be saved.
That is not the teaching of the Church.
But the other extreme (I think more prevalent today)
is that one’s religion is finally a matter of indifference,
as long as one finds himself on a spiritual path.

This second view doesn’t give nearly enough weight to the uniqueness of Christianity.
With Jesus Christ, something altogether new has entered the world,
something that is deeply pleasing to God and therefore of salvific significance to us.

This is the power and message of the cross, that dynamic into which we the baptized have been drawn.
Redemptive suffering is what Jesus did on the cross:
putting up with suffering for doing what is right.
This is pleasing in God’s eyes, precisely because it is redemptive for the world,
precisely because it takes away something that God hates.

+++Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more
abundantly.”+++

Here is a good article on it from Catholic Answers. The gist of it is that, while we are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the means by which we are saved is the Church. This is an objective fact whether one acknowledges it or not. However, one may have “invincible ignorance” (either by not knowing it or having an imperfect understanding) of that fact and thus be excused for not:

What “No Salvation Outside the Church” Means

Three important paragraphs from the Catechism not mentioned in the article are the following:

836 "All men are called to this catholic unity of the People of God. . . . And to it, in different ways, belong or are ordered: the Catholic faithful, others who believe in Christ, and finally all mankind, called by God's grace to salvation."320

838 "The Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter."322 Those "who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church."323...

818 "One cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272 819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276

I think within these statements from the teaching of the Church, many misunderstandings and points of Christian fraternal discussion can be found.

Having said all that, someone might ask, “If this is all true, what advantage is there to being Catholic? Why evangelize non-Catholic Christians.” The reasons are manifold. It is a fact of history that the Catholic Church was established by Christ himself. The Catholic Church teaches the fullness of the truth; it has means of growing in holiness not found anywhere else: the 7 sacraments especially the Eucharist and confession, the example and teaching of the saints, prayers/sacramentals/ devotions that are proven Saint-makers. The examples are endless.

“If this is all true, what advantage is there to being Catholic? Why evangelize non-Catholic Christians.”

Exactly.
But there IS an advantage - an incentive. And that has to be messaged as well...we are commanded to reach out with that (and that's from the beginning- not just since Vat2)
So that's what I am failing to resolve... how to bridge that gap... which is a modern Christianity spiraling out of control...
And I could never back away from our Protestant friends who challenge Catholicism and then say to them- "Don't worry about the fullness of the Truth - and the beauty of the Church... you're good where your at in non-denominational land, etc." - No way - just the opposite - that's our job- to bring those people into the Church who need and want more depth in their Faith.
Look at Dr. Bergsma to name one reference- sure he was a faithful, smart protestant OT scholar- but somehow he Knew he needed to be across the Tiber. But I'm sure he didn't think he was bound for hell just the same.
And now look at how much more he has thrived and has done for so many others..
How can we bottle that understanding - to convince those to take the one last step to the Eucharist?

It may be wrong on my part - but I feel if the Eucharist is knowingly rejected by those who call themselves Christians - and settle for what Bonhoeffer called "Cheap Grace" - there has to be some accounting for that in the next life. (I think the disciples who walked away at Capernaum.) But what is that difference.
I don't know... trying to think this through..

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