This passage from the First Letter to Timothy contains a statement that is of great importance for our understanding of what it means to say that Jesus died for the salvation of all humankind: "God our Lord... wants all men to be saved and come to know the truth." Yet there still remains the mystery and so the challenging question: given that God's will and desire is absolute and cannot be thwarted, how does God ensure that all human beings can come to know the truth and be saved - especially those who have no opportunity to hear the Gospel and to come to know Christ Jesus? Theologians have tried many ways in which to speak intelligibly about this mystery of God's universal desire of salvation for all. This work of the theologians is necessary, for theology is the search for a greater understanding of our faith. On our part, however, if we have friends who do not believe in God and eternal salvation, the best we can do is to pray for them, that their hearts may be open to God's salvific truth and his liberating love, remembering also that our prayers must be backed up by a life that reflects the Gospel values.