Salvation
Acts 4:1–12; Psalm 118; John 21:1–14
The readings for today focus on the subject of salvation. Salvation refers to deliverance from danger or suffering, often referring to temporal or eternal spiritual deliverance. The Bible uses the term to refer to Paul’s release from prison (Phil1:19) while Jesus’ equated salvation with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25). What are we saved from? we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9).
According to Acts of the Apostles, Peter declared to the crowd, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” So, both physical and eternal salvation occur in the name of Jesus Christ. Hence, the only name that will have been given is Jesus. Be mindful of the names you invoke during prayers; the trend shows that some Christians today pray in the name of their pastors. Note that this is different from the invocation or the intercession of the saints.
Again, it is said by Cyprian of Carthage that “Salus extra ecclesiam non est” (there is no salvation outside the Church). How are we to understand this statement? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the phrase “Outside the Church there is no salvation” means that “all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church, which is his body, and it is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church.” (CCC 846-848).
Lastly, the theme of salvation was demonstrated with the story of the miraculous catch of fish. Peter’s obedience to the Lord’s instruction made him haul a net full of a large quantity of fish, a perfect demonstration of how Peter will drag men from the world to the Lord—from sin to salvation. Lord, have mercy and save us.
Let us pray
Almighty, ever-living God, who gave us the Paschal Mystery in the covenant you established for reconciling the human race, so dispose our minds; we pray that what we celebrate by professing faith we may express in deeds. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
