Blueprint for Catholic Living: Part 5, "Becoming the Fragrance of Grace"
To the Ends of the Earth: Action – Week 3, Day 4 – There is No Other Way to Heaven
Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc on Unsplash
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:8–12
Jesus told his disciples that he is the way to heaven (cf. Jn 14:6). The love of God manifested itself in this world in the person of Christ and brought us salvation through his death on the cross. There is no other way to heaven, yet sadly, even some Christians give in to the lie that there are many ways to heaven outside the Church. The truth is, we cannot have it both ways. We cannot call ourselves believers in Jesus Christ and accept that there are multiple ways to heaven. This fundamental truth must be foundational in how we respond to this broken world and to the lost who will challenge our faith. We must hold on to this reality and stand strong as we share the Gospel with others by our words and actions. We cannot call Jesus Lord if we do not believe his words are true and live according to them.
As Catholic men, we must take a stand as Peter did, and proclaim, not just in words but in our deeds, that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. If we really believe this, then we must be willing to spend our lives working out our salvation with fear and trembling (cf. Phil 2:12) and learning to love the One who loved us with his life. Being Christian means sharing our faith through acts of love. In a world of growing moral and spiritual relativism, it is all the more important for Catholic men to be bearers of truth to all humanity, no matter what the cost.
Questions for Reflection
How often do you hear that there are numerous ways of attaining salvation? When are you most tempted to believe this?
Are you willing to stand strong in your faith and live by the truth that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
How can you support other men in standing strong this week?
Praying with Scripture
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (Jn 5:24)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
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About the Author
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
