The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved

Now let us consult the Latin Fathers. You will hear Saint Gregory saying clearly, "Many attain to faith, but few to the heavenly kingdom." Saint Anselm declares, "There are few who are saved." Saint Augustine states even more clearly, "Therefore, few are saved in comparison to those who are damned." The most terrifying, however, is Saint Jerome. At the end of his life, in the presence of his disciples, he spoke these dreadful words: "Out of one hundred thousand people whose lives have always been bad, you will find barely one who is worthy of indulgence." The Words of Holy Scripture But why seek out the opinions of the Fathers and theologians, when Holy Scripture settles the question so clearly? Look in to the Old and New Testaments, and you will find a multitude of figures, symbols and words that clearly point out this truth: very few are saved. In the time of Noah, the entire human race was submerged by the Deluge, and only eight people were saved in the Ark. Saint Peter says, "This ark was the figure of the Church," while Saint Augustine adds, "And these eight people who were saved signify that very few Christians are saved, because there are very few who sincerely renounce the world, and those who renounce it only in words do not belong to the mystery represented by that ark." The Bible also tells us that only two Hebrews out of two million entered the Promised Land after going out of Egypt, and that only four escaped the fire of Sodom and the other burning cities that perished with it. All of this means that the number of the damned who will be cast into fire like straw is far greater than that of the saved, whom the heavenly Father will one day gather into His barns like precious wheat. I would not finish if I had to point out all the figures by which Holy Scripture confirms this truth; let us content ourselves with listening to the living oracle of Incarnate Wisdom. What did Our Lord answer the curious man in the Gospel who asked Him, "Lord, is it only a few to be saved?" Did He keep silence? Did He answer haltingly? Did He conceal His thought for fear of frightening the crowd? No. Questioned by only one, He addresses all of those present. He says to them: "You ask Me if there are only few who are saved?" Here is My answer: "Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Who is speaking here? It is the Son of God, Eternal Truth, who on another occasion says even more clearly, "Many are called, but few are chosen." He does not say that all are called and that out of all men, few are chosen, but that many are called; which means, as Saint Gregory explains, that out of all men, many are called to the True Faith, but out of them few are saved. Brothers, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Are they clear? They are true. Tell me now if it is possible for you to have faith in your heart and not tremble.

I copied this from a site run by folks in sink's neck of the woods. Do you think it is a fair way to evangelize?

He Is Not Here
Peter and Paul Ministries

Mr. David James passed away in an unfortunate car accident at the age of 35 and was immediately whisked by angels before St. Peter and the gates of heaven.

Mr. James: Where am I?

St. Peter: You are standing before the gates of heaven.

Mr. James: Who are you?

St. Peter: I am Peter, the humble servant of God.

Mr. James: You mean St. Peter the first pope?

St. Peter: Yes.

Mr. James: Wow ! I made it to heaven!

St. Peter: Hold on, we have to see if your name is written in The Book of Life. What is your name?

Mr. James: Mr. David James.

St. Peter: Lets take a look.

(St. Peter opened a great book and began to look in it.)

Mr. James: I wonder what heaven is like?

St. Peter: I don’t see your name.

Mr. James: What? Look again!

St. Peter: I am sorry. Your name is not here.

Mr. James: There has to be some kind of mistake! Please check with some one else.

St. Peter: I will call for your complete record.

(An angel appeared and handed a scroll to St. Peter.)

Mr. James: Quick, read it!

(St. Peter unrolled the scroll.)

St. Peter: Lets see. You where a member of St. Anthony's parish and contributed amble time and financial support. You were married and had two children. Looks pretty good so far.

Mr. James: Do see any problems?

St. Peter: Here it is.

Mr. James: What?

St. Peter: You were unrepentant.

Mr. James: What do you mean I was unrepentant?

St. Peter: It says here, that you were unrepentant for the sins of using contraception, being sterilized, and receiving Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin.

Mr. James: You have to be kidding!

St. Peter: No, I am not kidding. You knew it was sinful to do such things. Why didn’t you confess your sins to a priest? Jesus would have forgiven you.

Mr. James: I didn't have the time, besides everybody uses artificial birth control. What is the big deal ?

St. Peter: Christians do not conform themselves to the world but are transformed. Intentional sterility is an affront before the Lord. God despises any sexual act that deliberately departs from the possibility of new life in its design. The big deal is these mortal sins you perpetrated extinguished God’s grace dwelling within your soul. Every time you accepted our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament you committed a sacrilege. The Bible clearly states in First Corinthians 11:27, "Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord." What in the world were you thinking?

Mr. James: I didn’t sin! The Church just made up those rules about artificial birth control so everyone would have large families. Besides, the Bible never denounces the use of contraception or having a vasectomy!

St. Peter: You are wrong. The Church didn’t make this up or said one had to have a large family. Just about every imaginable sexual activity is mentioned in the Bible, and the only form that is pleasing to God is uncorrupted conjugal love. As for your vasectomy, Deuteronomy 23:1 says, "No one who is emasculated, or has his male organ cut off, shall enter the assembly of the Lord." Contraception is condemned in Genesis 38:8-10 where God took the the life of Onan because he spilled his seamen rather than produce children.

Mr. James: That is the Old Testament. All that archaic morality was done away with when Christ came. Everybody knows that.

St. Peter: This is a trick used by Lucifer to dupe the foolish into believing that these condemnations are obsolete. Christ did abolish the ceremonial laws, but He never dispensed with the moral law. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." The New Testament also condemns contraception in Romans 1:25-26. Do you want me to quote this verse?

Mr. James: No. Can’t you make an exception for me?

St. Peter: I am very sorry. It is time for you to go.

(All at once, two hideous demons with chains in their hands appeared on either side of Mr. James.)

Mr. James: This has to be a mistake! Hey, wait a minute! What about Father Charles Turren? Yea, that's right! He said it was ok to use contraception and to get a vasectomy if ones conscience dictated. He said Vatican II changed all those outdated beliefs of the Church. Father passed away a couple years ago. Go ask him! Yea, he will make everything ok! Look in your book, quick!

St. Peter: Ok, Ok! I will check.

(St. Peter opened The Book of Life and began to turn the pages. After a while St. Peter looked up slowly at Mr. James.)

St. Peter: He is not here.

Who ever wrote this is in error. The sin of Onan was not spilling, but selfishness.

Genesis 38:6-10
"Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also."

"the moral law"

Deuteronomy 23:1-2
"No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD .
No one born of a forbidden marriage [1] nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD , even down to the tenth generation."

The first refers to castrated. The 2nd to illegitimate children. Here's what God says about the matter.

Matt:19:8Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

Show us where and how James rejected the Holy Spirit.

The Hell You Say !
Peter and Paul Ministries

It has become a formality that everyone is automatically whisked to heaven. Purgatory is ignored and the chance that a departed soul might be in hell is no longer part of the equation. Only monsters such as, Hitler and Stalin could possibly be suffering with the fallen angels. Thanks to heretical teachers many people have been convinced that Christ is tolerant of sin, non judgmental, and pluralistic in His view of salvation. People actually believe that Jesus would never allow anyone to be cast down into everlasting torment because He is a God of love. This idea is contrary to the Bible and Church teaching. It is true that Christ loves all of mankind even those in the pit of unquenchable fire. It is also true that He desires all to be saved and to embrace the truth, but the reality is some people because of their pride decide to reject Him and prefer the darkness of sin thus casting themselves into the bowels of hell. "And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil." (Jn 3 :19)

If people would just open up their Bibles and read, they would discover that the Jesus of the Gospels bears no resemblance to the fabrication created by the false prophets of our day. Christ condemned the idea that there are many paths to God. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me."(John 14:6) He also forewarns us that there will not be universal salvation of mankind. "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." (Matt 13: 41- 42) Christ’s teachings are not ambiguous. The rejection of the free gift of salvation offered by Christ through sin or unbelief carries with it a clear a defined outcome.

One needs to understand the magnitude of importance Jesus placed on avoiding damnation. If you were to take a Bible where the words of Christ are highlighted in red, and go through it, one would discover that Jesus spent one third of His ministry on this unpleasant subject. The Catholic Church understanding the significance of this fact has always taught the reality of hell. As a matter of fact, the new Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, 'eternal fire.' The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs" (CCC 1035). Priests, deacons, and religious instructors that are faithful to Christ and His Church unashamedly preach about the doctrine of hell because they love their fellow man as themselves and want everyone to live in God's grace forever. On the other hand, those who remain silent on this subject or deny its existence have instilled a false sense of security and self confidence concerning salvation. This is quite evident in Catholics that have foolishly subscribed to the Protestant concoction that a person can not sin once they believe in Jesus and even if they would sin, no punishment will be due them because they are already saved. The Bible unquestionably denies this counterfeit theology. "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me."(1 Cor 4 : 4)

If one wants to accept Christ’s gift of deliverance and avoid eternal damnation simply enter into the sole ark of salvation, the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and live a faithful life in accordance to it’s teachings. "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18) Christ will bring the faithful to everlasting life through His instruments of justification and sanctification, the seven sacraments. In baptism, we are born again, cleansed from all sin, and permanently claimed as a child of God. The sacrament of confession is where Christ lovingly waits to forgive the repentant sinner. Confirmation completes the baptismal promises, places an indelible mark upon the soul, and gives one the strength to endure the struggles of this life. Holy Orders is God’s unique channel of dispensing His sacraments to the faithful. Marriage builds up the kingdom of God through love and procreation. The Holy Eucharist is the source and the pinnacle of the Christian life. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."(Jn 6:54) The Anointing of the Sick forgives sin, heals the body if it is God’s will, and strengthens the soul for the journey home.

Those who die in perfect communion with Christ through the sanctifying grace of His sacraments will be given the bliss of seeing God in the face, the beatific vision. People that pass on in a state of grace, but still have temporal punishment to atone for will enter heaven only after they have been cleansed in the fires of purgatory. The people who sincerely searched for God and tried to lived a life in accordance to His’ law written upon their hearts but through no fault of their own never heard the Gospel or had the opportunity to formally enter the Church may be lead into communion with the Mystical Body of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church, by the miraculous intervention of God. "He that has my commandments and observers them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him."(Jn14:21) All Catholics must never forget that it would be a miracle for any invincible ignorant soul to be saved, because it is impossible to keep the whole moral law without Christ’s grace bestowed through His sacraments. Therefore the conversion of the world to Jesus and His Church is paramount so all will have a true hope of salvation. Lastly, those who live an unrepentant life of sin and debauchery and the prideful who choose by their own freewill to reject either Christ or His Mystical Body and sole ark of salvation, the Catholic Church, will not like where they end up."If anyone remains not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and burned." (Jn 15: 6)

If a person chooses not to believe in hell, it does not nullify it’s existence. The denial of this doctrine only calls God a liar and says that the crucifixion was a useless and vain sacrifice. So the next time a faithful Catholic is confronted by a person that makes an absurd statement such as, there is no hell or that everyone goes to heaven because God would never allow anyone to suffer eternal damnation. Just read them Christ’s own words and watch them squirm. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matt 7:13 -14)

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards,
nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10)

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