The Gospel of Salvation

I often find myself at odds, at odds with myself and at odds with those around me. I understand and know that the primary function of the Church, the sole reason for its establishment by Christ, is to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls. This is her divinely ordained purpose, and we as Christians participate in this purpose according to our role in the Church. If I become a priest, which seems more and more likely every day, it will be for the purpose of bringing this Gospel of salvation into the world in a way unique to a priest, by administering the Sacraments and preaching the Gospel.

In today's Church, and not only in the Catholic Church but among the greater Christian body, as well, salvation seems to take a back seat. We seem to believe that everyone will be saved anyway, so what's the point in preaching the Gospel of salvation when we can just go around helping people temporally instead? I am very active in social justice movements of various kinds, and this is where I am too often at odds with people. How dare I, they say, fight HIV/AIDS in Africa while not supporting the distribution of condoms? How dare I not support embryonic stem cell research when it might eventually lead to treatments which can alleviate the temporal suffering of so many millions people? Well, I dare because my first responsibility is always to the Gospel, is always to God. I will always serve the poor, I will always fight against injustice, I will always seek to make this world a better place – but not at the expense of offending God. To give in to this moral relativism that is dogmatic today, to give in to the utilitarian view of our humanity which regards the destruction of human life as acceptable so long as it alleviates suffering, would be to forsake Christ completely, and if the Church ever gave in to these temptations she would no longer be a Church which belongs to Christ.

I would be lying if I said I am never tempted by the arguments made by those who care not about salvation but rather about alleviation of temporal suffering first. Those doubts are to be expected because the Father of Lies is still prince of this world. Satan wants the Church, wants Christians, to stop caring about the salvation of souls. Sometimes he wins temporary victories over me and I stop caring about it, too. But I pray that God makes me strong, fills me with courage, so that the Gospel of salvation may always be in my heart and on my lips. It is the only way I know. It is the only way I want to know. It is the only way to say yes to God.

For further reading, check out John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Salvifici Dolores, one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever read on the Christian value of suffering.