No Salvation Outside the Church

Catholic Answers ^ | 12/05 | Fr. Ray Ryland

[Marysecretary]

Yes, believers in Jesus Christ are the body of Christ, the Church. No denominations, just believers.

[Marysecretary]

For the unbeliever, He will judge their sins. For the believer, our sins have been forgiven already when we confess them to our dear Lord and repent of them. We will be judged then according to our works. If you have repented of your sins, confessed them to the Lord, you won’t have to worry about standing before Him on Judgement Day.

[Marysecretary]

LOL. Out of the closet!

[Marysecretary]

Yeah, that one was a killer...

[Marysecretary]

You Catholics sure seem to like to gamble. Is that a sin or not?

[bdeaner]

Very revealing about how they REALLY feel about Mary. She seems to be placed on an even keel with Jesus in our salvation.

It may APPEAR that way, but appearances can be deceiving. Before jumping to conclusions about what "Catholics Really Believe," I highly recommend you look it up in the Catechism--available for free on-line. Any other source can potentially be in error. 99% of the time, you will find your objection is based on a misunderstanding.

Mary and Intercessory Prayer

As for some Catholics referring to Mary as "Co-Redemtrix," this is NOT an infallible teaching of the Magisterium, although many Catholics have been campaigning that it become recognized as an infallible teaching. It has not happened, and does not look likely. HOWEVER, the Church does NOT condemn anyone of heresy if they do refer to Mary as "Co-Redemptrix." It is still a mystery upon which the Church has not yet ruled one way or the other.

Why? Isn't it obviously heresy? No, it just appears that way on the surface. Here is an excerpt from an article that is clarifying:

Mary Co-Redemptrix

The term "co-redemptrix" is properly translated "the woman with the redeemer" or more literally "she who buys back with [the redeemer]." The prefix "co" comes from the Latin term "cum" which means "with" and not "equal to." Co-redemptrix therefore as applied to Mary refers to her exceptional cooperation with and under her divine son Jesus Christ, in the redemption of the human family, as manifested in Christian Scripture.

With Mary's free and active "fiat" to the invitation of the angel Gabriel to become the mother of Jesus, "Be it done unto me according to your word" (Lk. 1:38), she uniquely cooperated with the work of redemption by giving the divine Redeemer his body, which was the very instrument of human redemption. "We have been sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10), and the body of Jesus Christ is given to him through the free, active, and unique cooperation of the Virgin Mary. By virtue of giving flesh to the "Word made flesh" (Jn. 1:14), who in turn redeems humanity, the Virgin of Nazareth uniquely merits the title Co-redemptrix. In the words of the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "Of course Mary is the Co-redemptrix - she gave Jesus his body, and his body is what saved us." [1]

The New Testament prophecy of Simeon in the temple also reveals the suffering, co-redemptive mission of Mary in direct union with her Redeemer son in their one unified work of redemption: "Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, 'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and will be a sign of contradiction, and a sword shall pierce through your own soul, too" (Lk. 2:34-35).

But the climax of Mary's role as Co-redemptrix under her divine son takes place at the foot of the Cross, where the total suffering of the mother's heart is obediently united to the suffering of the Son's heart in fulfillment of the Father's plan of redemption (cf. Gal. 4:4). As the fruit of this redemptive suffering, Mary is given by the crucified Savior as the spiritual mother of all peoples,: "Woman, behold your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'behold, your mother!" (Jn. 19:27). As described by Pope John Paul II, Mary was "spiritually crucified with her crucified son" at Calvary, and "her role as Co-redemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son." [2] Even after the accomplishment of the acquisition of the graces of redemption at Calvary, Mary's co-redemptive role continues in the distribution of those saving graces to the hearts of humanity.

The earliest Christian writers and Fathers of the Church explained Marian co-redemption with great profundity in simplicity in the first theological model of Mary as the "New Eve." Essentially, they articulated that as Eve, the first "mother of the living" (Gen. 3:20), was directly instrumental with Adam, the father of the human race, in the loss of grace for all humanity, so too Mary, the "New Eve," was directly instrumental with Jesus Christ, whom St. Paul calls the "New Adam" (Cf. 1 Cor. 15:45-48), in the restoration of grace to all humanity. In the words of 2nd century Church Father, St. Irenaeus: "Just as Eve, wife of Adam, yet still a virgin, became by her disobedience the cause of death for herself and the whole human race, so Mary, too, espoused yet a virgin, became by her obedience the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race." [3]

In light of her unique and direct cooperation with the Redeemer in the restoration of grace for the human family (cf. Gen. 3:15), Mary became universally known in the early Church as the "New Mother of the Living," and her instrumental co-redemption with Christ was well summed up in the succinct expression of 4th century Church Father, St. Jerome: "Death through Eve, life through Mary." [4]

Explicit references to Marian co-redemption as Mary's unique participation with and under Jesus Christ in redeeming or "buying back" humanity from the slavery of Satan and sin is present throughout Christian Tradition. For example, the 7th century Church writer, Modestus of Jerusalem, states that through Mary, we "are redeemed from the tyranny of the devil." [5] St. John Damascene (8th century) greets her: "Hail thou, through whom we are redeemed from the curse." [6] St. Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century) preaches that "through her, man was redeemed." [7] The great Franciscan Doctor, St. Bonaventure (13th century), aptly summarizes Christian Tradition in this teaching: "That woman (namely Eve), drove us out of Paradise and sold us; but this one (Mary) brought us back again and bought us." [8]

Although there was never any question of the total and radical dependency of the Virgin Mary's participation in redemption upon the divine work and merits of Jesus Christ in the minds of the Church fathers and doctors, nonetheless early Christian Tradition did not hesitate to teach and preach the unparalleled intimate participation of the woman, Mary, in the "buying back" or redeeming of the human race from the slavery of Satan. As humanity was sold by a man and a woman, so it was God's will that humanity would be bought back by a Man and a woman.

It is upon this rich Christian foundation that 20th century popes and saints have used the title Co-redemptrix for Mary's unique role in human redemption, as exemplified in the contemporary use of Co-redemptrix for Mary by Pope John Paul II on five occasions during his present pontificate. [9] "Co-redemptrix" as used by the popes means no more that Mary is a goddess equal with Jesus Christ than St. Paul's identification of all Christians as "God's co-workers" (1 Cor. 3:9) means that Christians are gods equal to the one God.

All Christians are rightly called to be co-workers or "co-redeemers" with Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 1:24) in the reception and cooperation with grace necessary for our own redemption and the redemption of others - personal subjective redemption made possible by the historic objective redemption or "buying back" accomplished by Jesus Christ, the "New Adam," the Redemptor, and Mary, the "New Eve," the Co-redemptrix.

[Marysecretary]

Yep, that’s exactly it. They blindly follow their leaders’ teachings and never question or investigate for themselves. Very cultlike, wouldn’t you say?

[seoul62]

I have made my peace and I personally have come a long way. Jesus saved my life and gave me life with the birth of my daughter, after five miscarriages. I am eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven, He is the light of the world!!!!!!/Just Asking - seoul62.......

[bdeaner]

You Catholics sure seem to like to gamble. Is that a sin or not?

Gluttony is a sin, but food is not. Same thing with gambling. If it becomes your god, it's idolatry. Otherwise, no, it's not a sin. I pretty much never gamble -- I hate to loose money -- unless I KNOW it is an absolute sure thing.

[Marysecretary]

My parents were brought up in the Norwegian Lutheran Church and were married in one here in the US but because there was no Lutheran church in town, they went to the Episcopal Church instead, where I was until a teenager.

[Mr Rogers]

I think you forgot the verse that says, “No, not one - except Mary”.

I’m not certain which verse that is...

[Marysecretary]

Wonderful, Mr. Rogers.

[bdeaner]

If you have repented of your sins, confessed them to the Lord, you won’t have to worry about standing before Him on Judgement Day.

I try to do it, at minimum, once a month. Highly recommended.

[Marysecretary]

Now our Pet is questioning YOUR salvation. LOL. Typical trick.

[bdeaner]

Jesus saved my life and gave me life with the birth of my daughter, after five miscarriages

AWESOME! Congratulations! Praise the Lord.

I just found out today my wife and I will be having our second child (if all goes well). The baby is 8 weeks and is due Feb 9th. ;)

Prayers from any and all for the baby's health are appreciated!

[Marysecretary]

Wow, that’s revealing.

[Marysecretary]

You need to do it AS you sin. Go to Him immediately and confess it. You do NOT need to go through a priest or Mary to do that, only Jesus. HE is the intercessor.

[Marysecretary]

Great. Will pray all goes well.

[bdeaner]

Redgolum,
Perhaps you can explain to your (our) Protestant Brother why it's heresy to reject the Nicene Creed. A big fan of Arius, apparently? For some anti-Catholic people, I can say "white is white," and he or she would say "No, it's black," merely because it is the words of a Catholic.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

What do I care what you say? According to your own words, I cannot be saved because I do not belong to the right group (the Catholic Church headed by the Pope or one of the Patriarchs), and I do not perform the proper works (namely, communion).

That you have so twisted Scripture to reach these conclusions means there IS no point in even talking this over. You don’t even understand that your own Catechism teaches the fallible nature of the Church; if you cannot accept what your own Catechism states, then there is no use.

I pray that some day your eyes will be opened and you will realize the idolatry active in your life.