Peter was utterly clear in his teaching that Jesus was the one who made the salvation of the human race possible and that it was a normative necessity to come to him to receive that salvation.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
The Father gave the Son to us so that we could be saved through him (see John 3:16). He offered Jesus to us so that our decision for him could possible an escape from the condemnation that was our lot in Adam, a condition to which the love and mercy of the Father would not allow him to abandon us. He is the one who desires all to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth (see First Timothy 2:4) and so he provides for those who "who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church", provided that they do in fact "strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience" (see Lumen Gentium 16). This, however, does not give evangelists a pass if it looks like our acquaintances who do not know Christ are leaving decent lives. On the one hand, most people really have been exposed to the Gospel on some level, and they have a responsibility to respond to the degree that said exposure was authentic.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
Christ is the Father's plan of salvation for the human race. He wants all to consciously realize that he is the cornerstone so that our lives can be built as firmly upon that rock as possible. Rejecting that cornerstone through no fault of our own is one thing. Refusing to accept it is another, even if we otherwise live good lives.
We may then ask: should we, like Peter be so quick to proclaim the Gospel, if doing so will make those who hear accountable to it? We must, and this for two reasons. First, because the fullness of life possible fully and consciously united to Christ is so good. We should be convinced of this ourselves, convinced enough that we desire it for others, believing that there is in fact no greater thing that we could wish for them. Second, because the position of those who are unaware of Jesus even through no fault of their own is a far more precarious thing than the situation of those who do know him. While we are invited to hope that such ones do ultimately find and fall into the mercy of God we are not permitted to assume it. We must read the entire paragraph of Lumen Gentium in order that we realize that what we have in it is not an excuse for indifferentism, but instead a call to greater confidence in our mission to spread that name alone by which we are to be saved
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. Or 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, and mindful of the command of the Lord, "Preach the Gospel to every creature", the Church fosters the missions with care and attention (see Lumen Gentium 16).
Our Gospel passage this morning gives us a different view of this when we see the different situations of sheep with a good shepherd and those with a shepherd who is merely a hireling. The good shepherd has so identified himself with his flock that he will go to such lengths for it as would seem excessive or unreasonable to an outside observer.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Jesus is the good shepherd, the one who knows each of his sheep, who calls us each by name, who will go to whatever lengths are necessary to prevent us from being food for wolves. But we see that this isn't meant to be a relationship which is unidirectional.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
We are meant to know the voice of the shepherd. When we do know his voice we will not follow strangers. But to the degree that we do not know his voice we are at risk. Strangers with much less noble designs for the sheep might seduce us and lead us away. Certainly our shepherd will pursue us even then. But we must not live flippantly and imprudently because of that, like children skipping and running near the edge of a sheer cliff. We must not presume upon his mercy.
There was only one shepherd who was able to freely lay down his life for the sheep. Without this offering we emphatically all would have been the prey of wolves. It is through this one offering that the Father pours out his love, that his plan of salvation is actualized.
We may cringe at first when we hear the apparent exclusivism of Peter. It may seem unenlightened or old-fashioned to insist upon the unique truth of Christianity.
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved.
But Peter knew that there was not and could not be another shepherd like Jesus. He insisted that we should accept no substitutes. We don't insist on this centrality so much out of fear of condemnation but rather as a response to the mercy and love of God. It is not so much an obligation as a great privilege and treasure beyond price.
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
We are meant to become "like him" but this happens precisely to the degree that we "see him" and so finds perfection only when we "shall see him as he is." This is the good news that we have been given. We can't allow others to be content with shadows and the limited potential for transformation that such a limited vision can provide, not when we know where the substance is found.
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (see Second Corinthians 3:18)
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