Christian Universalism / Universal Salvation

[emi77]

Hi, Im returning to the Church and have a question about Christian Universalism / Universal salvation.

I realise that it goes against Church teaching to believe and preach that all will eventually be saved, despite sin/ acceptance of Jesus Christ.

I have great difficulty believing that God could be so vengeful as I have only ever experienced His mercy and Love.

Is it wrong for me, as a Catholic, to hope and pray that all will eventually be united with God, despite the Chruch teaching that Hell exists?

[Brother Adam]

You are asking about a theological heavyweight called apocatastasis. Apocatastasis is different than Christian universalism, and has taken several meanings throughout history, such that all will eventually be saved, including the demons in hell. While it is a heresy and must be rejected, it is not wrong to [i]hope[/i] that all men will be saved as that is the will of God. If we were to accept apocatastasis (sometimes spelled with a k) then there would a loss of justice and any such hope must be balanced with the visions of the mystics who have reported that the number of souls falling to hell is like "snowflakes" and the words of Jesus himself that few will choose the narrow gate that leads to life (Matthew 7:14).

"This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3-4)

"The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).

“The problem of hell has always disturbed great thinkers in the Church, beginning with Origin and continuing in our own time with Balthasar… in point of fact, the ancient councils rejected the theory of the final apokatastasis according to which the world would be generated after destruction and every creature would be saved, a theory which indirectly abolished hell.” (John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope)

"The dogma of the Church is that hell exists, not that human beings are in it. Yes, hell exists, but I don’t know if any human being is in it.” (Han Urs Von Balthasar to Karl Barth)

Yes, please do pray for the salvation of all souls.

I highly recommend Han Urs von Balthasar's text "[url="http://www.amazon.com/Dare-Hope-Saved-Short-Discourse/dp/0898702070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312548070&sr=8-1"]Dare We Hope?[/url]". It has an excellent discussion on apocatastasis and the population of hell.