Office Of Readings | Week 2, Wednesday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Dogmatic Constitution On The Church Of The Second Vatican Council | Behold! I Will Save My People

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Office Of Readings | Week 2, Wednesday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Dogmatic Constitution On The Church Of The Second Vatican Council | Behold! I Will Save My People

‘Behold! I will save my people.’

This reading from the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council sets out a broad vision of God’s plan of salvation and the place of the Church within it. Drawing on Scripture and the tradition of the Church, it presents salvation history as a continuous and purposeful work of God, rooted in creation and directed towards fulfilment at the end of time.

The reading begins with God’s original intention in creating the world. Humanity was made to share in the divine life, not as an afterthought but according to God’s free and deliberate purpose. Even after the fall in Adam, God did not withdraw this intention. Instead, he continued to provide means of salvation, always with Christ in view. Christ is presented as central to history: known and intended by the Father before time, and the model according to which the elect are shaped.

From this foundation, the Council turns to the Church. The Church is described as the community of those who believe in Christ, gathered by God across history. Its origins are traced back to the beginning of the world, prepared through the history of Israel, established in the time of Christ, and revealed fully through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Church is not yet complete; its final perfection lies in the future, when all the righteous will be gathered together in God’s presence.

A significant feature of the passage is its attention to those outside the visible boundaries of the Church. The Council affirms the unique place of the Jewish people, recalling the covenants and promises and insisting that God remains faithful to his call. It then speaks of Muslims, who acknowledge the Creator and seek to live in submission to the one merciful God. Beyond these groups, it considers all who seek God sincerely, even without explicit knowledge of him.

The Council teaches that God’s saving will extends to all people. Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ or the Church may still attain salvation if they seek God with sincerity and strive to do his will as they understand it through conscience and grace. Even those who have not reached explicit belief in God are not excluded from divine assistance if they pursue what is good under the influence of grace.

The reading concludes by affirming that whatever truth and goodness are found among all peoples are gifts from God. These are seen as preparations for the Gospel and signs of God’s light at work in the world. The Church’s role, therefore, is set within a universal horizon, recognising God’s action far beyond its visible limits while remaining centred on Christ as the source of life for all.

A Reading From The Dogmatic Constitution On The Church Of The Second Vatican Council | Behold! I Will Save My People

In his wisdom and goodness the eternal Father created the whole world according to his supremely free and mysterious purpose and decreed that men should be raised up to share in the divine life. When they fell in Adam, he did not abandon them but always kept providing them with aids to salvation, in consideration of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before the ages the Father already knew all the elect and predestined them to be made into the likeness of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

God resolved to gather into holy Church all who believe in Christ. The Church, foreshadowed even from the beginning of the world, so marvellously prepared in the history of the people of Israel, established in these last times and revealed by the outpouring of the Holy spirit, will be made perfect in glory at the end of time. Then, as we read in the Fathers of the Church, all the righteous from Adam onward – from Abel, the righteous, to the last of the elect – will be gathered in the universal Church in the presence of the Father.

Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are in their different ways related to God’s people.

In the first place, there is that people which was given the covenants and the promises and from which Christ was born by human descent: the people which is by God’s choice most dear on account of the patriarchs. God never repents of his gifts or his call.

God’s plan of salvation embraces those also who acknowledge the Creator. Among these are especially the Mohammedans; they profess their faith as the faith of Abraham, and with us they worship the one, merciful God who will judge men on the last day.

God himself is not far from those others who seek the unknown God in darkness and shadows, for it is he who gives to all men life and inspiration and all things, and who as Saviour desires all men to be saved.

Eternal salvation is open to those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church but seek God with a sincere heart, and under the inspiration of grace try in their lives to do his will, made known to them by the dictates of their conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the aids necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet reached an explicit belief in God, but strive to lead a good life, under the influence of God’s grace.

Whatever goodness and truth is found among them is seen by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel, and as given by him who shines on all men, so that they may at last have life.

Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ

God of wisdom and mercy,
you created all things in love
and call every person to share in your life.
We thank you for your saving purpose,
made known to us in Jesus Christ.

Guide your Church as you gather your people
from every nation and generation.
Keep us faithful to the Gospel,
and humble in recognising your work beyond our sight.

Look with compassion on all who seek you in sincerity,
and strengthen them by your grace.
Enlighten every conscience with your truth,
and lead all people towards the fullness of life.

May we honour whatever is good and true,
and bear witness to your light in the world.
Bring all creation to its fulfilment
in your presence at the end of time.

Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Glossary Of Christian Terms

Divine life | Participation in the life of God
Predestined | Chosen by God for a particular purpose before time
Elect | Those chosen by God to share in salvation
Image of the invisible God | A title for Christ expressing his full revelation of the Father
Church | The community of believers gathered by God in Christ
Holy Spirit | God’s Spirit, given to guide and sanctify the Church
Righteous | Those who live in right relationship with God
Covenants | Sacred promises made by God with his people
Patriarchs | The founding ancestors of Israel, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Mohammedans | An older term for Muslims, followers of Islam
Conscience | The inner sense by which a person recognises moral good and evil
Grace | God’s free and active help given to humanity
Divine Providence | God’s guiding care over creation and human history
Preparation for the Gospel | Elements of truth and goodness that dispose people to receive Christ