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Economy of Salvation |
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The expression “economy of salvation” has gained currency in recent decades and occasionally appears in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, especially in sections dealing with the seven sacraments (cf. 1217-1228, 1286-1293, 1333-1344, 1539-1553, 1602-1620). That is a clue to its meaning. In Greek, “economy” means something like “plan” or “management.” When applied to God, the term refers to the major manifestations to the world of his universal salvific will summed up in saying that he “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tm 2:4). Salvation history can be seen as divided into four successive stages, wherein God’s constant determination to draw humanity to himself is operative in different human settings. These distinct phases are: (1) the original plan before the Fall; (2) the period after the Fall but before Christ’s coming; (3) the time of Christ’s incarnate presence in the world; and (4) the period lasting until the end of history, inaugurated by his Ascension and the Holy Spirit’s descent. This is the time of Christ’s sacramental and ecclesial presence. Each of these ages is characterized by a specific set of visible and invisible divine aids. However wayward humans beings may become, their all-provident and all-resourceful God is never thwarted in making his original creative intent known and viable. Moreover, while for humans’ sake God may establish certain means, such as the Church and the sacraments, he is not limited to them, and his invisible help and attraction are always present in the form of actual graces to all those who tend toward him, however gropingly.
See: Ascension and Parousia; Creation; Divine Revelation; Grace; Human Race, Creation and Destiny of; Original Sin; Providence. |
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