The good news for Catholics is that the one and only Holy Catholic Church universally teaches, with the delegated authority of Jesus Christ, that there is no salvation outside of its communion.
The bad news for Catholics is that sacred scripture states that 'few' will in fact be saved (St Matthew 7:14 )
According to scripture, 'few' will experience eternal life after death:
"For many are called, but few are chosen." - St Matthew 22:14
"Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.
How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!" - St Matthew 7:13-14
"Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able." - St Luke 13:24
"Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity." - St Matthew 7:22-23
The burning question for Catholics is who are the many?
Pillar #1:Â The Catholic faith is immutable
The Truth is immutable, which means unchanging and unchangeable
The Truths that comprise the Catholic faith (reflected in the lines of the Creeds) were revealed by Jesus Christ, the Truth incarnate, and taught by the Apostles and their successors, to whom the Holy Ghost was sent to teach and guide in 'all truth'. (St John 16:13)
Reflecting this reality, Catholics are universally commanded in scripture:
to all speak the same thing; and
to be perfect in the same mind; and
to be perfect in the same judgment; and
to allow 'no schisms among you'. (1 Corinthians 1:4-10)
All members of the Catholic Church are called to unity of faith
'Catholic' means Universal
Universal means applying always and everywhere
Because it applies always and everywhere, the Catholic faith is immutable, that is unchanging and unchangeable.
The Catholic faith is not the function of any variable; personal or experiential
There can be nothing 'new' in the Catholic faith.
Pillar #2: Authoritative Church teaching on the Catholic Faith is immutable and binding on all subsequent generations including all future Popes.
The Lord Jesus Christ personally delegated His supreme authority to St Peter (and his successors):
"And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." - St Matthew 16:19
The Lord Jesus Christ personally delegated Teaching authority to all twelve of His chosen apostles (and their successors):
"Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." - St Matthew 28:19-20
Pillar #3: Membership of the Catholic Church is an objective and binary reality
"The doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church, was first taught us by the Redeemer Himself." - - Pius XII; Mystici Corporis Christi #1
"Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed." - Pius XII; Mystici Corporis Christi #22
Members of the Catholic Church are those who:
1. are baptised; and
2. Profess the true faith; and
3. Have not seperated themselves from the unity of the body; and
4. Have not been excluded by legitimate authority.
A person is either onboard the Ark of Salvation which is the Catholic Church, or he is not onboard.
There are no life bouys connected to the Ark of Salvation.
Pillar#4:Â Automatic self-severance from Church membership is an objective reality
Those who depart in the least degree from the one true Catholic faith, automatically* sever themselves from the Body of Christ, which is His Church:
""There can be nothing more dangerous than those heretics who admit nearly the whole cycle of doctrine, and yet by one word, as with a drop of poison, infect the real and simple faith taught by our Lord and handed down by Apostolic tradition"Â
"The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium." - Leo XIII Satis Cognitum #9
*In order for self-severence to occur, the recession must be knowing and pertinacious.
Pillar #5: The severence of ties with those not in unity of Catholic faith, works two ways
Not only do those who depart from the unity of the Catholic faith automatically sever themselves from the body of Christ, members of the Church are commanded to cut all ties with any person, regardless of status (ie even a Pope), who would preach a gospel besides that received:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.
As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema." - Galatians 1:8-9
"And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us." - 2 Thessalonians 3:6
The teachings of the ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Catholic Church, are immutable Truths, handed down and binding upon all subsequent generations of the Church, including all subsequent Popes.
The Magisterium teaches extensively and authoritatively on the theological heresy of 'modernism', a system of corrosive ideologies defined by the Church as the synthesis of all heresies:Â
"And now, can anybody who takes a survey of the whole system be surprised that We should define it as the synthesis of all heresies? Were one to attempt the task of collecting together all the errors that have been broached against the faith and to concentrate the sap and substance of them all into one, he could not better succeed than the Modernists have done." - Pascendi Dominici Gregis; Saint Pius X 1907
Those who depart in the least degree from the authoritative teachings of the Church, sever themselves from communion with the body of Christ by their heresy:
""There can be nothing more dangerous than those heretics who admit nearly the whole cycle of doctrine, and yet by one word, as with a drop of poison, infect the real and simple faith taught by our Lord and handed down by Apostolic tradition"Â
"The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium." - Leo XIII Satis Cognitum #9
The plague of modernism, comprehensively warned of by Saint Pius X in 1907 , is now undeniably established in the mainstream of the Church's human institution and administration.
This has caused the entire modernist mainstream to automatically sever themselves from communion with the Catholic Church.
Those many who swim in the Church's liberal, progressive and modernist mainstream, hoping for salvation, must conveniently ignore the Church's Sacred scripture and its Tradition.
It is claimed that the Catholic Church is made up of 1.4 billion members.
The vast majority of these attend what is called the 'new mass'.
This was a new alternative 'mass' introduced in 1970 by the liberal, progressive and modernist regime, following their earlier takeover of administrative control in the Church.
Sacred scripture makes clear that 'few' will find the narrow gate to eternal life (St Matthew 7:14).
That leaves the vast majority of the claimed 1.4 billion membership on the broad way to destruction.
many are called but few are chosen - God wills all saved, but knows all wont be
Holy scripture commands Catholics to completely withdraw communion with any preacher whatsoever of a gospel that in any way differs from that revealed by Jesus Christ to the apostles, then received and handed down in by Church through Tradition:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.
As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema." - Galatians 1:8-9
"And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us." - 2 Thessalonians 3:6
Many claim membership of the Catholic Church simply by virtue of their Baptism, however...
"Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed." - Pius XII; Mystici Corporis Christi #22
Members must:
1. Be baptised; and
2. Profess the true faith; and
3. Have not seperated themselves from the unity of the body; and
4. Have not been excluded by legitimate authority.
Most of the 250 million who consider themselves to be practicing Catholics, have in fact separated themselves from the unity of the body, by adhering to one or more of the multitude of modernist heresies that have attacked the Church since the 1960's or before.
Jesus Christ lamented the possibility of a complete absense of faith upon His return:
"And will not God revenge his elect who cry to him day and night: and will he have patience in their regard?
I say to you, that he will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when he cometh, shall he find, think you, faith on earth?" - St Luke 18:7-8
This takes some work to reconcile with His promise that the Church shall never fail:
"And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." - St Matthew 16:18
It would seem to emphasis just how small will be the remnant holding the true faith at the end of time.
Keeping the true faith means holding fast to the Gospel of Jesus Christ revealed to the apostles and as handed down by the Church throughout the ages; that is, holding fast to the Traditional faith.
The one true faith is a faith that is 'held' and 'kept', it is not a new or evolving faith driven by human experience, emotions or ideology, as taught by the modernists.
It is the immutable faith, once delivered to the saints, that has been universally and authoratively taught by the Magisterium or teaching office of the Church.
"Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle." - 2 Thessalonians 2:14
"Dearly beloved, taking all care to write unto you concerning your common salvation, I was under a necessity to write unto you: to beseech you to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." - St Jude 1:3
One separates from the body of Christ by simply departing in any way from the authorative teachings of the Church:
"The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium." - Leo XIII; Satis Cognitum #9