Christianity 017: The mechanics of salvation

In a previous post, we explored a few images that create windows for approaching a spiritual life, one of which was that of illness and healing. Very close to this image is the idea that the Church is a hospital. Christ used a similar image in addressing scribes and Pharisees: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…” (Mk 2:17) Presumably, Christ is not saying that there are some who are not sick and thus have no need of Him, but that there are some who do not recognize that they are perishing and thus reject the Saviour whom they think they do not need.

The idea that the Church is a hospital seems to make intuitive sense, whether or not it is particularly accurate. While the youngest and the most zealous members of the Body may much more readily identify with the image of the Church as militia Christi and of themselves as miles Christianus, those who have been in the Church for some time, and especially those who have gained a certain amount of life experience, have tried and failed to live up to Christ’s precepts - they understand that they are not able to conquer their affliction on their own and are in need of the Divine Physician.