Question on salvation in the Catholic faith

[mlz]

I am a recent convert and from all I’ve read or heard so far we as Catholics are not to presume on salvation but to continue walking in holiness toward our Lord, being saved in baptism, continuing in being saved and will be saved should we continue in faith…or something of that nature, but not “once saved always saved”. So when I went to Mass at a different parish this weekend I was confused when the deacon who gave the homily talked about us all being saved and going to heaven…it almost sounded like the “once saved always saved” message I heard as I protestant. Was his homily correct…could someone explain to me whether I misunderstood this or if he may not have been on track with Catholic teaching??

Thank you,
mlz

 

[MJCamp]

Not knowing what exactly was said, he probably meant laymen who follow the Catholic faith and adhere to Church teachings would be saved. It is very hard to do sometimes, but the sacraments are there for all of us to use. That’s the beauty of what God has given us. He knows we aren’t perfect and sin but the sacraments are there to keep us pure and close to God

 

[TRH1292]

Friend, I can’t really comment on what the deacon said, as I didn’t hear the homily. But my charitable guess would be that he was just speaking of our common baptismal salvation that we should walk in. But as I wasn’t there and didn’t here it, I don’t know.

What I do know however, is that “once saved always saved” is a great heresy. We are put into a state of grace through baptism. We lose this grace through moral sin, and it may be regained again by the sacrament of confession.

 

[Minnesota1]

John 3:16

 

[Marocchino]

The CCC on justification:

2017 The grace of the Holy Spirit confers upon us the righteousness of God. Uniting us by faith and Baptism to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us sharers in his life.

2018 Like conversion, justification has two aspects. Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, and so accepts forgiveness and righteousness from on high.

2019 Justification includes the remission of sins, sanctification, and the renewal of the inner man.

2020 Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted us through Baptism. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most excellent work of God’s mercy.

2021 Grace is the help God gives us to respond to our vocation of becoming his adopted sons. It introduces us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life.

2022 The divine initiative in the work of grace precedes, prepares, and elicits the free response of man. Grace responds to the deepest yearnings of human freedom, calls freedom to cooperate with it, and perfects freedom.

2023 Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.

2024 Sanctifying grace makes us “pleasing to God.” Charisms, special graces of the Holy Spirit, are oriented to sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the Church. God also acts through many actual graces, to be distinguished from habitual grace which is permanent in us.

2025 We can have merit in God’s sight only because of God’s free plan to associate man with the work of his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man’s collaboration. Man’s merit is due to God.

2026 The grace of the Holy Spirit can confer true merit on us, by virtue of our adoptive filiation, and in accordance with God’s gratuitous justice. Charity is the principal source of merit in us before God.

2027 No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.

2028 “All Christians . . . are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (LG 40 § 2). “Christian perfection has but one limit, that of having none” (St. Gregory of Nyssa, De vita Mos.G 44, 300D).

2029 “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).

 

[fred_conty]

I am a recent convert and from all I’ve read or heard so far we as Catholics are not to presume on salvation but to continue walking in holiness toward our Lord, being saved in baptism, continuing in being saved and will be saved should we continue in faith…or something of that nature, but not “once saved always saved”. So when I went to Mass at a different parish this weekend I was confused when the deacon who gave the homily talked about us all being saved and going to heaven…it almost sounded like the “once saved always saved” message I heard as I protestant. Was his homily correct…could someone explain to me whether I misunderstood this or if he may not have been on track with Catholic teaching??

Thank you,
mlz

Once we are baptised properly, we are saved unless we lose sanctifying grace by doing a mortal sin. Then we lose our salvation. But the sanctifying grace, the life of God within the soul, may again be restored by receiving the sacrament of mercy, confession. Then salvation is restored.

What some protestants believe is that once a person is saved, they do not lose salvation for any reason, even doing a mortal sin, which many of them do not believe that there is a difference between mortal and venial sin.

Once-saved-always-saved is a dangerous doctrine, which is not in the bible. It could very well mean that they think that they are saved when in reality their soul is stained with mortal sins.
This would be very bad for catholics. For protestants it could be just as deadly tho we really do not know what is in the mind of God. They are being fed a slow dose of poison thruout their life on this concept, and then at their death bed, there may be a good chance they will not express sorrow for their sins to Jesus because of this bad teaching. The consequences of this may be horrible, tho again we cannot read the mind of God and his mercy.

Just some thoughts.​

“O breathe on me, O Breath of God. Fill me with life a new, that I may love the things you love, and do what you would do.” (hymn)

 

[fhansen]

I am a recent convert and from all I’ve read or heard so far we as Catholics are not to presume on salvation but to continue walking in holiness toward our Lord, being saved in baptism, continuing in being saved and will be saved should we continue in faith…or something of that nature, but not “once saved always saved”. So when I went to Mass at a different parish this weekend I was confused when the deacon who gave the homily talked about us all being saved and going to heaven…it almost sounded like the “once saved always saved” message I heard as I protestant. Was his homily correct…could someone explain to me whether I misunderstood this or if he may not have been on track with Catholic teaching??

Thank you,
mlz

Scripture, as well as the church, conceives salvation as being past, present, and future: was saved, being saved, will be saved. And both also reveal that salvation can be lost in any case. So it’s natural for us to speak in these same terms; St Paul also spoke as if believers were saved, but also at other times admonishing them to strive to remain in that state.

 

[Feldwebel]

I am a recent convert and from all I’ve read or heard so far we as Catholics are not to presume on salvation but to continue walking in holiness toward our Lord, being saved in baptism, continuing in being saved and will be saved should we continue in faith…or something of that nature, but not “once saved always saved”. So when I went to Mass at a different parish this weekend I was confused when the deacon who gave the homily talked about us all being saved and going to heaven…it almost sounded like the “once saved always saved” message I heard as I protestant. Was his homily correct…could someone explain to me whether I misunderstood this or if he may not have been on track with Catholic teaching??

Thank you,
mlz

Pope Eugene IV, wrote a Papal bull Cantate Domino (1441)

“It [the Church] firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life,** but will depart ‘into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock;** and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward, and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, **unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.” **

This is one of the three "Cathoilics only " in heaven teachings. But they’ve been dropped.

** But in Lumen Gentium, the Church reversed this previous teaching and now even sincere atheists can be saved**.

“Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.” [Lumen Gentium]