Did Jesus Die to Ransom a Few, Many, or All?

By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ • Phoenix, AZ

On the feast of All Souls, the debate about the number of the saved arises in the minds of some. There are those who think that only a few are saved and others who think that most will be and still others who say that all will be saved. 

The debate was intensified in 2009 by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI promulgating the revision of the vernacular translation of the liturgy according to the original Latin. Perhaps the most significant change was in the words of the Consecration from “for all” to “for many”. Was this a commentary on the number to be saved? Only understanding the words in their proper context will provide the true answer!

First of all, the use of “the many” in the liturgical texts reflects literally what Scripture records of our Lord saying at the Last Supper, “for you and for many”, and earlier when He said, “The Son of Man has not come to be served, but to serve and to offer His life as a ransom for the many.” (Cf. Mt 20:28 and Mk 10:45)

According to the excellent Scripture scholar, Dr. Brandt Pitre, our Lord’s use of “the many” is a technical term that alludes to the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 53 where the prophet goes back and forth between “the many” and “all” using the Hebrew word Rabbim, meaning everyone. In verse six Isaiah says, “and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all”, while  in verse eleven he says, “my servant shall justify many”.

The point is simply that when Jesus says, “the many”, He means everyone! In fact, “the Church, following the apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception”. (CCC #605)

So, in the end, the debate over how many people are to be saved – few, many or all – is purely academic! The real question is: How well do I embrace and cooperate with the graces the Lord is offering for my salvation? The Lord clearly wants everyone to be saved, for which He offered His life on the Cross. The question is do I want it, too, and am I living like I want it? We pray for ourselves and for others to embrace the abundant graces of salvation offered by the Lord. And in this month of November, we pray too for those who have died that, having embraced the saving graces of our Lord, they may now be numbered among “the many” in the heavenly realm!