The faithful are invited to discover God’s plan of salvation in an ever-deepening way through active participation in the liturgical calendar of our Church. Over the course of three years, we will hear almost the entirety of the Bible if we attend Mass daily. As a brief overview, we will hear about the beginning of creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, the struggle of a humanity that is distant from God, God’s choice of a people to be his own beginning with Abraham, God’s guidance of his people by way of the Law given to Moses and by his messages through the prophets.
What is the Plan of Salvation?
In the fullness of time, God’s plan of salvation took on a new reality when the Word of God, Jesus, became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary. When Jesus reached maturity, he entered into his ministry by preaching with an authority that no one had ever experienced before and performed miracles as he proclaimed the love and mercy of his Heavenly Father. Then proving his love for us he established his Church, entered into his passion, died on the cross for our salvation, and rose from the dead for our eternal hope.
That’s approximately 4,000 years in a nutshell. However, we learn about those 4,000 years as we follow the liturgical calendar. We see that our faith is based on historical, Scriptural, and experiential reality. God created us, God redeemed us through the mission of Jesus Christ, and continues to sanctify us through the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.
The Authenticity of God’s Plan of Salvation
The authenticity of this plan has been proven in the lives of the faithful witnesses who have followed Jesus Christ for 2,000 years. In every generation, God has worked countless miracles through his followers that have been scientifically proven. We know the names of many who we call saints. Their names are included in the liturgical calendar because the witness of their faith is an essential component of what we believe. No one can deny the reality of what God has done through them. There are many more whose names we do not know but have also been instrumental in proving that the Church Jesus founded is indeed God’s plan for temporal and eternal happiness. We are also called to be those witnesses and we can be with the help of God’s grace and our desire to be faithful,
A Path to Understanding God’s Plan of Salvation
The liturgical calendar is like a document of God’s plan of salvation; however, the Holy Mass and the sacraments of the Church are an experience of God’s plan of salvation. At Mass, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are made present to us on the altar, bread and wine are changed to the body and blood of Jesus and we have the opportunity to receive Jesus, who is God, in Holy Communion. This is as close as we can get to heaven on earth. The Sacraments are a personal encounter with Jesus Christ which allows us to experience his love and mercy. All of Jesus’ promises in the Scriptures become a reality for us when we frequent the sacraments. Yes, we will continue to experience trials because that is also part of Jesus’ promise to us. In our trials, we can discover how much we need Jesus and experience how he keeps his promises.
God’s plan of salvation is perfect for those who believe in him.
Deacon Tom Fox, C.K.H.S., and Mary Jane Fox, D.H.S. are the Co-Founders & Co-Directors of Pilgrim Center of Hope. The two left their careers after a profound conversion experience and began working full-time in ministry at their parish in 1986. After several years and having impacted tens of thousands of families, the Foxes founded Pilgrim Center of Hope in 1993 as a response to the Church’s call for a New Evangelization. Deacon Tom is an invested member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a Commander Knight of the Holy Sepulchre.
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
