Salvation, What Every Catholic Should Know
"Are you saved?" When I was in college, some random student came up to me and asked me this question out of the blue. At the time, I wasn't a practicing Catholic. I wasn't practicing anything. I had no clue what the question even meant.
If you've ever wondered how to answer that question or what the question even means, the book Salvation, What Every Catholic Should Know, by Michael Patrick Barber, is for you. Most practicing Catholics probably understand that Salvation is important. After all, every Sunday, in the Creed, we pray that Jesus came down from heaven "for our salvation." We know that Christ is the Savior, but what are we being saved from and what are we being saved for?
What I love about this book is that it takes common objections or oversimplifications and begins to tell us what Salvation is by explaining what it is not. Each chapter covers what salvation is not: it's not self help, not just fire insurance, not without cost, not just personal, not just a legal transaction, not a spectator sport, not simply a moment, not inevitable, not just for other people and it is not just about the future. In each chapter, in clear and concise language, Michael Patrick Barber unpacks each of those distortions and strips away the misunderstandings and confusion. Then using from Sacred Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Tradition of our faith, he draws us into the deeper meaning of salvation that calls us to a relationship with Jesus. This relatively easy to read book will not only help you do answer the question "Are You Saved" but more importantly it will help you pray for the graces needed to truly become a new creation in Christ.
