Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

S OME L IBERAL E RRORS 19
want to be martyrs, so they imagine that these poor souls, who do
not know Christ, do not need to know Him: these Liberals will be
asked to account for not having preached the truths of Faith to
them. “If, when I say to the wicked, thou shalt surely die; thou
declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted
from his wicked way and live: the same wicked man shall die in
his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand” (Ez. 3:18).
Our Lord Jesus Christ did not say to His Apostles: “Sit here, I
will give baptism of desire to all nations!” He rather said: “Go,
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:19, 20).
Now if someone has received sanctifying grace before baptism,
which, as shown above, is possible and does happen (though
it is like a miracle of grace), one must add that it is quite difficult
to keep that grace without the help of the sacraments (e.g., if he is
in Siberia, or in a pagan country). It already requires great efforts
to keep that grace and persevere until the end for those who are in
the Church; 23 how much more difficult it is for those who do not
have all these benefits! It is not difficult to be saved if we take seriously
the gifts of Our Lord Jesus Christ (His teaching and sacraments)
and put them in practice (Mt. 7:24-27), but if one does
not have at his disposal the means established by Christ to give us
His grace, and lives in a pagan or heretical surrounding against
which he must constantly fight, it is quite difficult!
The Liberals, who would have us think that it is easy to be
saved without the help of the sacraments instituted by Christ precisely
to apply to us the grace of His salvation, practically make
this holy institution useless! Why would Christ have instituted
them if it is so easy to be saved without them?
We must rather hold that because of the extreme difficulty to
be saved without them, Christ has instituted these sacraments
precisely to help us!
Salvation by baptism of desire alone is like a miracle; God
does perform miracles, but one must add that miracles are rare,
both in the natural order and in the supernatural order. Baptism
23 “The kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away” (Mt.
11:12).