Greek] ὁδός (hodos), [Latin] via, [Latin] iter, [French] marcher, [French] voyager: way, gate, road, journey, path; 102 scriptures
Background information:
Greek Hellenism: This term means way, road, course, journey, travelling, manner, way of doing, and way of saying.
Old Testament: This term means road, way, path, manner, conduct, and destiny.
God made provisions for the future for our salvation:
Mal.1:11: “From the rising of the sun to its setting, My name is great among the nations; incense offerings are made to My name everywhere, and a pure offering; for My name is great among nations, says the Lord of hosts.” (This foreshadows the future Mass continually being said in each time zone throughout the world. The Eucharist becomes present in a host.)
New Testament: This term means way, gate, journey, road, and path. By the way, for purpose of brevity, I will exclude normal (mundane) uses of this term.
God:
Jn.14:6: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (The Truth of the Father is manifested in the person and works of Jesus.)
Acts 13:10: “Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord?'” (Satan is the father of lies and the author of deceit. God’s straight paths indicate Christian doctrine, integrity, sincerity, and truth.)
Rom. 11:33: “How inscrutable are God’s judgments and how unsearchable His ways!” (God’s ways are unfathomable and unknowable.)
Prophecy:
Mt.11:10: [Malachi]: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you [Jesus]; he will prepare Your way before You.” (The coming of a new prophet was eagerly awaited.)
Lk.1:76: [Zechariah]: “You child will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation.” (Zechariah was the father of John.)
Acts 2:28: [David]: “You (God) have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.”
Heb.3:10: [Holy Spirit]: “Because of this [rebellion and testing] I was provoked with that generation and I said, ‘They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know My ways.'” (In the wilderness the Israelites were disobedient and hard-hearted. The Israelites did not want to know the ways of God.)
The Way (the new Christian ‘sect’):
Acts 9:2: “Saul asked the high priest for letters to the synagogues, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.” (Paul was a rabid Pharasaic persecutor of these new Christians.)
Acts 18:25: “The Jew Apollo, an authority on the scriptures, had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.” (Yet Priscilla and Aquila took him aside to explain more fully about the Way.)
Acts 19:9: “But when some [Jews in the synagogue] in their obstinacy and disbelief disparaged the Way before the assembly, Paul withdrew and took his disciples with him and began to hold daily discussion in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.” (These hardened and disobedient Jews were violently opposed to the gospel. It is interesting to note that the Greek noun schola refers to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. We can possibly infer that Paul was acting like a theology professor.)
Acts 19:23: “About that time a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way.” (The silversmith Demetrius claimed that Paul stated that ‘gods made by hands are not gods at all.’ The silversmiths were filled with fury and anger from this offense against the goddess Artemis. Paul wanted to respond but his associates convinced him to not do this.)
Metaphorical:
Mt.7:13: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.”
Mt.13:4: “Some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.”
Mt.21:32: ” When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him.”
Man (human nature):
Acts 14:16: “In past generations God allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways.” (God allowed the Gentiles to walk in their own ways, following their desires and passions. The ignorance and sin of the Gentile world would be allowed to run its course, allowing them to be open to God’s mercy and redemption.)
Jas.1:8: “He is a man of two minds, unstable in his ways.” (Man’s concerns are divided between God and the world. Yet, God permits that one’s testing of his faith produces perseverance.)
2Pet.2:2: “Many will follow the false teachers’ licentious ways, and because of them, the way of truth will be revealed. (These false teachers will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master, bringing swift destruction on themselves. They will exploit you with fabrications. Their destruction does not sleep. They bring loss of faith in Christ and contempt for the way of salvation.)
A high level (“bird’s eye’s view) of the Church’s views toward salvation:
- Prior to Vatican II: the only means to salvation is only through Jesus and His Church. (All other Churches do not have this means of salvation).
- Vatican II’s more nuanced view (“It’s not that simple anymore”) toward ecumenism: other churches (faiths) can subsist (can have some elements of salvation) in the Church.
- Not all Catholics accept Vatican II’s understanding about salvation.
WHY IS SALVATION ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH JESUS AND HIS CHURCH?
Occam’s Razor: The simplest explanation (answer) is generally better than a more complex explanation (answer). Which statement is more plausible? Thesis #1 or Thesis #2 ?
Thesis #1: Jesus established one Church (the Bride of Christ) for the salvation of man.
- Mt.16:18: ” [Jesus]: and so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Jesus made provisions for His Church to last forever.)
- Napoleon Bonaparte threatening a Church cardinal
Napoleon Bonaparte: “Are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?”
Catholic cardinal: “Your Majesty, we Catholic clergy have done our best to destroy the Church for the last 1800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.” (due to the continued protection of the Holy Spirit!)
Thesis #2: Jesus allows and permits the establishment of [as of now] over 45,000 churches and denominations! Then which church is the one for one to obtain salvation?
- Jesus: “All of you can just do your thing and create as many churches as possible. That’s fine with me.”
Answer: Thesis #1 ==> simplest explanation!!!
Pope Francis’ troublesome statements about salvation: (from his efforts in reaching out and get along with other faiths)
- “Every religion is a way to arrive at God.”
- “Different religions lead to the same God.”
- “Divine inspiration is present in every faith.”
Unfortunately, confusion often follows Pope Francis:
“It is a mistake for the Church to try to hold onto old traditions or to have clear answers for everything.” (So is Pope Francis saying that IT IS A BAD THING THAT THE CHURCH HAS CLEAR ANSWERS FOR EVERYTHING??? Very unsettling and very concerning!)
Conclusion:
Via, iteration, march, voyage, voyager
The prophet Malachi prophesizes a perfect sacrifice celebrated around the world. The Mass is continually celebrated through all the world’s time zones.
Satan seeks to undermine God’s Church, God’s laws and creation, and morality. One does not need to be full blown possessed to be influenced by Satan. Satan influences each of us through deceit, lies, pride, rebellion, distraction, spiritual dryness, busyness, enticement with the world’s pleasures, vices and liberties, and vulnerability to sin.
Satan loves to create confusion in all aspects of our world. We must not lose sight of this!
Update: God is allowing the Modernists’ hard-heartedness to continue for all of us to see the LITURGICAL CONFUSION AND CHAOS in the Church. These Modernists are evidently “true-believers” in their ideology. Hopefully, this will cause many of us to wake up, to take notice, and to not take our Church (and faith) for granted.
Unfortunately, we currently have many recent generations of poorly catechized laity. The Vatican Synodal Way is seeking to encourage greater decision-making authority between the clergy and laity! WHAT COULD EVER GO POSSIBLY WRONG WITH THIS!
It is one thing to be ecumenical, but it is another thing to make questionable doctrinal statements in order to just get along with other faiths (like Pope Francis)!
More and more Traditional (conservative) Catholics are being marginalized and ridiculed “as rigid” and “having a disease for nostalgia” by the Modernists and progressives in the Church.
Several clergy espousing traditional Catholic teachings are now being removed, deposed, excommunicate, and laicized during the Bergoglian Reign of Terror.
One also has to ask: “Are Vatican II’s “nuanced” views on salvation also shaped by “fresh air”, Modernism and secularism?
Pope Francis’ Synodal path, seeking to walk with the world, is incorporating pagan and indigenous elements in the Mass. The German Bishops (not a good sign) were extensively involved in the Amazonian Synod. Secularism, worldly values, sin, and evil are creeping into this Synodal Church.
Yes, we certainly now live in a more complicated world. But perhaps the simplest answer is to still refer to the saints who knew (without the complications) where salvation could be found. Just saying. And perhaps, we are still making it complicated in finding where salvation can be found! Maybe we should still draw from that wisdom [God and the saints] and simplicity when it comes to salvation.
If the true answer is as simple as St. Augustine states, will Church leaders accept and teach this?
Pope Francis, seeking to get along and be nice with other “faiths” at questionable ecumenical events, continues to dig himself deeper in making troublesome statements about salvation. Pope Francis continues to be hesitant (not being bold) in stating the Catholic Church’s teachings on salvation.
Pope Francis’ Synodal Church continues to create new human doctrines, innovations, and “sins” at the Vatican Synodal Penitential Celebration. Such new sins include: the sin against synodality (listening), and the sin of using doctrine like a stone. (In other words, a Traditional Catholic is likened to a rigid Pharisee or stone-throwing Jew. Keeping Tradition and opposing synodality is a sin! CREATING NEW SINS ==> CREATING A NEW CHURCH!
Another consequence of Vatican II’s naive intent to “bring fresh air into the Church” ==> questionable ecumenical efforts
- All the popes (Pope John XXIII to Pope Francis) can be included.
- Vatican II becomes the starting point for this.
- This includes questionable ecumenical efforts with governments.
- This includes questionable ecumenical efforts with other faiths.
- This has led Pope Francis to make his three troublesome statements about salvation. Are you surprised?
- We all must not forget that Pope Paul VI also mentioned that “the smoke of Satan has entered into a crack in the Church” (Let that sink in.)
Quote by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216 A.D) at the Fourth Lateran Council:
“Indeed, there is but one universal Church of the faithful outside of which no one at all is saved.”
Next post: conform much?