Zephaniah and Isaiah prophesied that, after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, the Lord would leave a remnant (Zep 3:12; Is 1:9). These prophets also implied that the Lord would leave some believers not only during the Babylonian exile but throughout the history of Christianity. This gives the impression that only some people would be committed Christians at any particular time.

Jesus seems to have spoken similarly when he said that many are called but few are chosen (Mt 22:14). When asked if few were to be saved, Jesus did not directly answer that question (Lk 13:23), but He did say that many were on the road to damnation and few on the road to eternal life (Mt 7:13-14; Lk 13:23-24). Cardinal Newman commented on this Scripture passage by saying that, although he couldn't know exactly what Jesus meant by "many" and "few," he could safely say that "few" isn't more than "many" and "many" isn't less than "few."

This is a sobering thought. If we fit into this world, if we're like most people, if we have the same habits, buy the same things, and watch the same shows, we may be on the road to damnation.

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 14, 2007

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