Copyright © 2006 By Doug Lawrence. All Rights Reserved.
Catechism Of The Catholic Church Reprinted With Permission.
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But St. Paul tells us about many ways we can still personally forfeit God's grace
and lose our share in God's Kingdom. He also reminds us that Jesus gave us,
through His Church, the Sacraments, particularly Baptism and Reconciliation, with
the power to make us new once, then again and again, any time we ask:
1Corinthians 6:8 - 11 But you do wrong and defraud: and that to your brethren.
Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err:
Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the effeminate nor liars with
mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor railers nor extortioners
shall possess the kingdom of God. And such some of you were. But you are
washed: but you are sanctified: but you are justified: in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 5:19 - 21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest: which are
fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, Idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities,
contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, Envies, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like. Of the which I foretell you, as I have
foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of
God.
Because the Church is Holy (and will always be so, by divine decree) it will
always be preserved from evil. That makes the Church a refuge for sinners
and the perfect earthly Trustee and dispenser of all God's grace.
That certainly does not rule out the possibility that evil people will belong to, or
even temporarily exert control over certain aspects of the Church. It does mean
that God has the right to remove anyone He deems unfit from participation. But
how He chooses to do that is up to Him.
Borrowing a line from the comedian, Bill Cosby,
"I brought you into this world … and I can take you out!"
God certainly has that power over His Church.
In His wisdom, Jesus endowed His
incorruptible Church with all the grace that
He obtained for us through His perfect life
and His sacrificial death. He remains the
head of the Church. We are the body.
Once baptized, all we have to do is ask
for whatever we need and our needs will
be met through the infinite merit and
grace He makes present for us in the
Mass, the Sacraments and the devotions
of His Church.
In truth, anyone whom God
chooses to save or grace, whether or not they are baptized, or
have ever physically set foot in a Church, receives from the same
source; God, through His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic
Church.
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