Part 3: Sanctifying Grace or Grace of Justification

Sanctifying Grace is an unmeritted, supernatural gift, which the Holy Ghost imparts to the soul, and by virtue, such sinners become just men, children of God, and heirs to Heaven.

Sanctifying Grace is a supernatural gift, because through it, as if through a spiritual generation, God imparts to man a new supernatural life, that is permanent within him as long as he does not destroy it by Mortal Sin. Hence, Sanctifying Grace differs from Actual Grace by being permament or continual.

Sanctifying Grace is an unmerited grace, because it is a completely free gift from the merciful love of God, since we have not earned it by our natural powers, and are also unable to gain it by ourselves, even with the aid of Actual Grace. Hence, St. Paul writes in Romans 3:24: "Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;" and again in Titus 3:5-5: "Not by works of justice, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the laver of regeneration through Jesus Christ our Savior: that being justified by His grace, we may be heirs, according to hope, of life everlasting."

Santifying Grace justifies man -- that is to say, it takes him out of a state of sinfulness and places him in a state of justice and holiness. Hence, it is also called Grace of Justification.

Nature of Justification

The essence of justification consists in this: that we are freed from guilt and received into the favor of God. Justification takes guilt from us and gives us the good-will of God. Therefore justification embraces:

first, cleansing from all, or at least Mortal Sins, together with the remission of the eternal punishment; and,

secondly, the healing or the renewal of the internal man, as explained by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:11: "You are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the spirit of our God."

Process of Justification

A man passes from the state of sin to the state of justice and holiness in the following manner:

First, Preventive Grace enlightens the sinner, and so influences him that he should turn towards God. Now the sinner must obey this impulse of divine grace -- that is to say, he must, with the assistance of the grace, turn voluntarily towards God, believe all that God has revealed, and most especially the truth that we are justified through Jesus Christ.

Then, this faith influences the sinner that he gains a wholesome fear of the divine justice, and furthermore, that he at the same time hopes to obtain pardon from divine mercy.

And now, he begins to love God, bewails his sins, makes a resolution to lead a new and God-pleasing life, and if he is not baptized, receives the Sacrament of Baptism; or, if he is baptized, has recourse to the Sacrament of Penance.

In this manner, he received Sanctifying Grace, and with it the remission of his sins and an internal healing, whereby he becomes really just, pleasing to the Lord, a child of God, and an heir to Heaven. We find the clearest examples of this process of justification in the conversion of holy, penitent saints, such as St. Augustine, St. Ignatius, and others.

Loss and Decrease of Sanctifying Grace

Even by Venial Sin, Sanctifying Grace is weakened and by Mortal Sin, it is totally lost. For, as Ezechiel says, "the soul that sinneth, the same shall die" (Exechiel 18:20).

As long as we are in this life, we have not, without a special revelation from God, any infallible certainty whether we are in the grace and friendship of God or not. Yet there are certain signs that afford us a kind of moral probability of the question:

Do you always have a desire to grow in virtue and perfection?

Do you always find your enjoyment in God alone, or that, when you serve God, do you do so with cheerfulness and pleasure?

Are you always glad to speak about God and heavenly things, and are you glad to hear them spoken about?

Meritoriousness of Good Works

To the good works that we perform in the State of Grace, God awards a reward or compensation. By such good works we merit:

1. An increase of Sanctifying Grace; for, as by a wise use and disposition of earthly treasures, we increase and extend them and heighten their value, so by the practice of good works we augment Santifying Grace within us. Hence our Blessed Lord says: "To everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall abound" (Matthew 25:29).
   

2. Everlasting happiness is the second and most consolatory reward that is bestowed upons us for the good works we perform while in a State of Grace. To this truth, St. Paul gives expression as follows: "As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the just judge, will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love His coming" (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

This meritoriousness accrues to the good works that we perform in a State of Grace only from God; only from the merits of Jesus Christ, Whose living members we become by virtue of Sanctifying Grace. Hence, Christ Himself says: "I am the vine, you are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Essential Requisites of Good Works

A good and meritorious work requires:

1. Being in a State of Grace:

   
   

   Only those works that we perform in a State of Sanctifying Grace can have any value before God. Man in a state of sinfulness can do nothing meritorious of Heaven. Nevertheless, the good deeds we perform in a State of Mortal Sin are not wholly worthless. Although we gain by them no merit for eternal happiness, yet, God on account of them makes us more disposed for the reception of Sanctifying Grace. We gain by them from the divine mercy, the Grace of Conversion, and sometimes escape temporal punishments.
   

2. Purity of Intention:

   
   

   What is most essential to all our good works is a purity of intention, which sanctifies the most insignificant work, and imparts to it value and merit in the Eyes of God. It is true to say: "Good intention transforms lead into gold." Our Divine Lord expresses the high value of a proper intention in these words: "Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple: amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42). In view of its vital importance, we should often awake within us this purity of intention.

Necessity of Good Works

Every Christian must practice good works because:

1. Without them, our faith is of no avail. "Faith without works is dead," says St. James 2:26.
   

2. Without good works, Sanctifying Grace cannot be in us, nor abide in us, for it is by good works that we manifest it outwardly, and at the same time maintain and cherish it within us.
   

3. It is by good works that we are to earn the reward of Heaven, and merit our crown. Whosoever shall appear with empty hands before God shall not receive from Him the Crown of Life. Hence our Divine Savior says: "Every tree that doth not yield good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire" (Matthew 3:10).

Kinds of Good Works

The good works that we ought to perform are chiefly those that are commanded by the Law of God and His Church, and that are useful and necessary to the fulfilling of the duties of our State of Life.

The Holy Scriptures especially commends the three following:

1. Prayer:
   

   All Exercises of Devotion

1. Fasting:
   

   All Works of Mortification
   

2. Almsgiving:
   

   All works of Christian Charity

Hence, the angel said to Tobias: "Prayer is good with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold."

Passages from Scripture

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

"A good man out of a good treasure bringeth forth good things" (Matthew 12:35).

"So faith also, if it have not good works, is dead in itself. Show me they faith without works, and I will show thee, by works, my faith" (James 2:17-18).

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. From henceforth now, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow them" (Apocalypse 14:13).

Selections from the Fathers

"Whosoever say they love Christ are not esteemed for what they say, but for what they do. For the tree is known by its fruits. It is better to be a friend, and keep silent, than to prate and not be such. The kingdom of God consists not of words, but of works." (St. Ignatius of Antioch)

"The intention maketh the work good; faith guides the intention." (St. Augustine)

"Be not slothful in good works, that at the proper time you may reap what you have sowed." (St. Augustine)

"Our works do not perish as they seem to perish; they become as it were seeds sown in eternity. The unwise Christian will be astonished when, from the small seed, he will see a large harvest gathered, either a good one or a bad one, according as the seed has been good or bad." (St. Bernard)

Do Not Wait Until Tomorrow

Some years ago there lived in Steirmarck a distinguished Count, who had lived the life of an angel rather than that of a man. Indeed, his director, to whom he confessed regularly for many years, could testify that his penitent had never been guilty of a Mortal Sin. After his death, when examining his affairs, his friends discovered on his kneeler, a skull bearing on the forehead the inscription: "What in thy last hour thou would wish to have done, do now while thou are well and strong." On the jaw were the words: "If thou has done much good, conceal it; otherwise thou shall lose all merit."

Every day the Count had passed hours before this skull in prayer, meditation, and studying the Scriptures -- urging himself to do good works.

He would say to himself: "Count, do now what at the hour of thy death thou shall wish to have done. Now thou has strength, leisure, and opportunity. Wait not for thy death hour, when thou can do nothing."

The Profitable Servant

One warm summer evening, Gotthold, an honest farmer, strolled out in the fields with his son Philip. It was a Saturday in harvest-time. During the week, the laborers had worked steadily under a hot sun. Just then, the bells of the parish church rang for the devotion of the Angelus and the cessation of work for the week. The men threw down their scythes, took off their hats, and knelt down to say a prayer of thanksgiving to God, Who had given them health and strength to complete their labors.

"You perceive, my son," said Gotthold, "how glad these men are to hear the sound of the blessed bells. For rest is doubly welcome after an honest toil, to say nothing of the pleasure of carrying home well-earned wages to beloved wife and children. Do you think the idle, lazy man, in all his slothful hours, ever experiences a joy equal to that of his more industrious neighbor?"

"No," replied the boy, "for the idle man must grieve to think that he must go home without any wages to buy necessities for his little ones."

"Yes indeed," said the father, "he is to be pitied; his week is past and nothing done. All this is but a figure of human life, which is one long week of arduous toil. We are the workmen of Our Lord, and each one of us has his allotted task to do. One day the angels' trumpet will proclaim that the time for work is over, and all the workers will assemble around the judgement-seat of their Master to receive their reward."

"What happiness then for the industrious laborers of the Lord's vineyard! To them He will say: "Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou has been faithful over few things, I will place these over many. Enter into the joy of the Lord." Those unhappy beings who have misspent their time will be filled with sadness, for they will hear the dreadful sentence: "Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

"The boy replied: "Dearest father, I will try to be useful and laborious, and grow to be a profitable servant."

Then the father said: "God bless your good intentions, my son; be faithful in keeping them, and then you shall not appear with empty hands before God."

Application

Pray for grace every day fervently; for in possessing it lies all your peace. It converts the sinner, softens the obstinate, and strengthens the good to perseverance.

It applies to us the merits of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ shed for us on the Cross.

Where there is no grace, there is no faith, no charity, no penance, no virtue, and hence, no happiness.

From where comes the estrangement from God by so many Christians?

The wickedness of life that people refuse to abandon?

The loss of faith?

The hatred for virtue?

All of these come from an absense of the Grace of God.

Strive to obtain and retain God's Grace by frequenting the Sacraments. They are the fountains of grace. Be regular in attendance at Holy Mass. Suffer yourself to be drawn by Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.

Do not say: Grace avails me nothing. Use diligently the means of grace, and you will have reason to say the contrary.

God is merciful.

Trust in Him.

He wills not the death of a sinner, but rather that he be converted and live.

Source of Meditation

The Means of Grace

Original 1894 Publication

Eternal rest grant unto Fr. Richard Brennan, O Lord, and let Your perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen

Grace: How God Sees Our Soul

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