Praise be Jesus and Mary.
For we work and are reviled for this reason,
that we hope in the living God,
who is the Savior of all men,
especially of believers.
I read the epistle in preparation for the Mass.
It was this phrase that caught my attention,
that we hope in the living God,
who is the Savior of all men,
especially of believers.
And so I went to Cornelius Olapide
to see how that is to be understood,
that God is the Savior of all men.
Our Lord is the Savior of all men,
but especially of believers.
So our Lord is the Savior of all men
in the sense that he opened the gates of heaven
for everyone.
Even though everyone does not enter,
our Lord opened the gates of heaven for everyone.
And that those who do not have explicit faith
can be saved.
As the Second Vatican Council teaches
in Lumen Gentium,
paragraph 16 says this,
Those also can attain to salvation
who through no fault of their own,
okay, those are very important words,
who through no fault of their own
do not know the gospel of Christ or his church,
yet sincerely seek God
and moved by grace,
strive by their deeds to do his will,
as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.
So, although they can be saved,
it doesn't mean necessarily that they're saved.
In fact, the same paragraph affirms
that it is rare that they are saved.
It goes on to say,
But often men, deceived by the evil one,
okay, that means seldom are they not deceived
by the evil one.
But often men, deceived by the evil one,
have become vain in their reasonings
and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie,
serving the creature rather than the creator.
And certainly that's in reference to
the first chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans.
For some there are who,
living and dying in this world without God,
are exposed to final despair.
Wherefore, to promote the glory of God
and procure the salvation of all of these,
they must be saved.
And mindful of the command of the Lord
to preach the gospel to every creature,
the church fosters the missions with care and attention.
So this is why we, Franciscans of the Immaculate,
are missionaries,
to bring the truth of God
to these souls who are in need of salvation
and are in real danger of damnation.
So our Lord is the Savior of all men,
but he is not the Savior of all men.
He is the Savior of all men,
but he is the Savior especially of believers.
We can affirm the same thing with regard to believers.
That is, not all believers will be saved,
but only those who die in God's grace.
But our Lord is the Savior especially of believers
because, as St. Ambrose says,
he grants to believers the greatest helps of salvation,
namely faith, hope, grace,
and grace of God.
And he cares for them
and loves them more than the others.
St. Ambrose continues,
Indeed, it stands to reason that God loves more
and has greater care for the faithful,
the just, and his friends,
rather than for the infidels,
the impious, and his enemies.
So let's strive with all our strength
to be faithful to God.
Let's strive with all our strength
to be faithful to be just
and be the friends of God.
Okay?
And find the easiest path to salvation
with all of the helps that God gives us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Amen.
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