Those not belonging to the Christian fold who receive the grace of God and are saved obtain their salvation through an implicit faith in, love of and desire for Christ, his church and the sacraments — at least baptism (and the Eucharist). (religion-online.org)
Communion, whenever it is done, is for us to remember exactly what Jesus did to obtain salvation for us. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
Two other basic ideas are commonly accepted, as for example by St. Thomas: (a) before the Mosaic law, people obtained salvation by professed faith in rites (such as sacrifice) of a sacramental type; and (b) among the Jews there were also rites of a sacramental type (such as circumcision and the immolation and partaking of the paschal lamb). (religion-online.org)