DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

On account of the sin of our first parents,
we are all born deprived of sanctifying
grace ; we have no right to heaven, and are
subject to sin. Likewise, if we commit a
mortal sin after Baptism, we lose again the
state of grace. As long as the guilt of sin
remains in the soul we can do nothing for
heaven, and if one should be so unfortu-
nate as to die in that state, he would be
lost forever.
How terrible is the condition
of sin !
And yet sinners, as a rule, are so
blinded to their dangerous condition that
they see no danger in it. They are bound,
as it were, with iron chains which they are
unable to break.
On this account the con-
version of a sinner is a greater miracle than
the raising of a dead man to life. It is a
miracle of grace.



Although conversion is so great a gift
that it cannot be merited, the sinner may
and should pray for it. Our Lord said,
"Ask and it shall be given you, seek and
you shall find, knock and it shall be opened
to you."
1 This much the sinner can do ; he
has always sufficient grace to pray.
If he
pray for the grace of conversion, he may
hope to receive it, for Our Lord continues
and says, "Every one that asketh receiveth." 2
Prayer like other good works is not
in vain, even in those that are not in the
state of grace. God Himself through His
prophets repeatedly exhorted the Israelites
to prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and other
good works, in order that they might receive
pardon for their transgressions.
Of
alms Our Lord Himself said that they lead
to the remission of sin.
"Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
3


1. Matt. 7. 7.
2. Matt. 7. 8.
3. Matt. 5. 7.



To be continued...
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

Every one who is in the state of sin
must do all in his power to escape the
terrible danger of being lost forever. This
is demanded by the love we should have
for ourselves, as a Christian must love his
own soul, and must try to save it.
If we
have committed a grievous sin, we must
immediately make an act of contrition,
and
confess our fault to the priest, and from
him seek absolution in the sacrament of
Penance.
In this way we can regain the
state of grace,
after we have had the mis-
fortune of losing it by mortal sin.
No
one need remain in the state of sin for a
moment;
if confession is not immediately
possible, we can make an act of perfect
contrition
(that is, an act of sorrow for our
sins, because by them we have offended
God who is all-good and most worthy of
our love),
together with the firm resolution
of sinning no more and of confessing our
sins as soon as possible.
Why should we
remain for hours, or even days and weeks,
in the state of sin, and so be continually
exposed to the danger of being suddenly
cast into hell for eternity?



To be continued...
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

There is nothing worse than living in a
state of sin;
it is greater than any other
evil. Mortal sin separates us from God, the
source of all good and all real happiness ;
it robs us of all the good that we have
done ; takes away all the merit of whatever
good we may do whilst in this state; and,
finally, if persevered in, it banishes the sinner
into everlasting hell-fire.
On account
of this the good Christian daily recites the
act of contrition for his sins, and promises
that he will die rather than offend God again
by grievous sin.
The saints understood
the great difference between the state of
grace and the state of sin, when they
willingly suffered death rather than offend
God.
By denying their faith they might
have saved their lives, and received great
earthly rewards and honors, but that would
have been a grievous offence against God,
and they remembered the words of their
divine Master, " He that loveth his life (i.e.
the life of the body) shall lose it; and he
that hateth his life in this world keepeth it
unto life eternal."
1


We will, therefore, never commit a
mortal sin, even if it were to save
a person's life.
This would be to pay too
dear a price for it. Yet how many there
are who sell their souls for even less!
How many treasures they could save up
in heaven, during the time that they are
in mortal sin! Now this precious time, in
which they ought to work for heaven, is
lost because they are in a state of sin and
can do nothing for the salvation of their
souls.



When we compare these two states, the
state of sin and the state of grace, what a
contrast they are to each other !
How
much better is it to watch over the
precious treasure of sanctifying grace, to be a
child of God and an heir of heaven, to
lay up treasures in heaven for our eternal
glory,
than to run after the passing
pleasures of this world, and to be all this time,
as it were, hanging over the abyss of hell,
into which the sinner might fall at any
moment !
Let us therefore be faithful to
grace, until grace be changed into glory,
when God Himself will say to us, " I am
thy reward exceeding great."
2


To be continued...


1. John 12. 25.
2. Gen. 15. 1.
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

VIII - ON GOOD WORKS


The state of grace consists in freedom
from mortal sin, the possession of interior
sanctity through grace and its companions,
faith, hope, and charity.
By grace our souls
become beautiful and pleasing in the sight
of God ; with it are given us the divine virtues
that make us true sons of God. These
virtues are given us to know God, hope in
Him, and love Him. The effect of the
virtues are, therefore, good works.
The
virtues of faith, hope, and charity may be
compared to the talents which the lord gave
to his servants, and with which they were
to work, and on the return of the master,
render an account of their work.
" To one
he gave five talents, and to another two, and
to another one, to every one according to
his proper ability ; and immediately he took
his journey."
1 The one who had received
five talents used them and gained five more ;
likewise the one who had received two, put
them to good account and gained two more ;

but the one who received only one talent
buried it, and gained nothing for his master.



When the master returned he held a reckoning
with his servants, and to each of the
two faithful servants he said, " Well done,
good and faithful servant, because thou hast
been faithful over a few things, I will place
thee over many things, enter thou into the joy
of thy lord."
2


To the third one, however, he said,
"Wicked and slothful servant, . . .
take ye away therefore the talent from him
and give it to him that hath ten talents ; for
to every one that hath shall be given, and
he shall abound ; but from him that hath
not, that also which he seemeth to have
shall be taken away."
3


What is the meaning of this parable?
The master is our divine Lord, Jesus Christ,
who after our Redemption returned into heaven.
In His Church, He left the treasures of His grace
which are given to us through Baptism
and the other sacraments. These treasures
He merited for us by His Passion and
death, and distributes to us through the
sacraments.
We are the servants who are to
use them, and who must give an account of
the manner in which we have corresponded
with grace.
Some men receive more grace
than others,
but all receive at least one talent;
all receive sufficient grace to gain more and
work their salvation.
Each must use the
grace given him, and must by using it obtain
some gain; all must bring to the Master the
fruit of good works. They who cooperate
faithfully with the grace of God, and bring to
Him the fruit of good works, shall be rewarded.
This reward consists in the good pleasure of
the Lord and in the joys of heaven.
" Well done "
indicates the pleasure that the Lord has in His faithful
servants ;
" Enter thou into the joys of thy
lord "
refers to the happiness of heaven
which is indeed the joy of the Lord, since
its principal happiness consists in the possession
of God Himself.
From this parable
we see clearly that good works are necessary.

" A good tree will bring forth good
fruit."
" Every tree that doth not yield good
fruit shall be cut down and cast into the
fire."
4


To be continued...


1. Matt. 25. 15.
2. Ibid. 25. 21.
3. Ibid. 25. 26, 27.
4. Matt. 3. 10.
Image
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

Good works are necessary to retain and
increase sanctifying grace.
Grace is the
talent which the Lord has given to us of
His own free will. We did not earn nor
merit it. We must watch over, and so preserve
and increase it,
otherwise we shall
incur God's displeasure and be treated as
unfaithful and slothful servants.
When we
received this talent in Baptism, we received
at the same time the obligation of using it
and bringing forth good works. We renounced
Satan and his works, and promised
to lead good and holy lives.
Sanctifying
grace can be compared to a light: as a
light is fed by oil, so sanctifying grace is fed
and nourished by good works. We must not
hide this light under a bushel, but we must
let it shine so that when others see our good
works, they may praise the Father who is in
heaven. "So let your light shine before
men that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father who is in heaven."
1
St. Paul admonishes the Christians, "Do ye all
things without murmurings and hesitations ;
that you may be blameless and sincere children
of God, without reproof, in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the
world."
2 Our good works should be as a
light to the world, that through them men
may be attracted to God. By our good
example we shall teach the world to serve
God.



1 Matt. 5. 16.
2 Philip. 2. 14, 15



To be continued...
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

We must perform good works because we
are Christians.
A Christian is one who by
sanctifying grace is united to Christ ; one
who has become, in a manner, a part of Christ.
Christ lives and "dieth now no more." 1
If, then, we are members of His body, we
too must live ; and we live by charity which
shows itself in works. "Faith without
works is dead."
2
To be united to Christ
demands a living faith, one that is perfected
in charity and good works. A Christian is
a disciple or a follower of Christ; he must,
therefore, listen to the words of his Master
and obey them. Christ repeatedly commanded
us to pray, to keep the commandments of God,
to love our neighbor and even our enemies.
By word and deed He taught us to do good works.

He went about doing good, and healing the sick.
"I have given you an example that as I have
done to you, so you do also."
3 "Learn of Me
because I am meek and humble of heart."
4
"If any man will come after Me let him deny
himself, take up his cross daily, and follow
Me."
5 From this and from the example of the
apostles and of the saints, we can see that
true Christian life consists in doing good
works, according to the teaching and example
of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
They who no longer
go to Mass, who do not wish to fast and
deny themselves, who do not keep the
commandments, are not living
Christian lives, they are Christians only in
name.
Sanctifying grace is fed on good
works ;
where good works are wanting,
there sanctifying grace will not remain
long
A man who does not perform good
works is like a tree without fruit; he is
worthless. Without good works we cannot
remain in the state of grace,
but if we perform
good works, we will continually grow
in grace.
"He that is just let him be justified
still, and he that is holy let him be
sanctified still."
6


1. Rom. 6. 9
2. James 2. 20
3. John 13. 15.
4. Matt. 11. 29
5. Luke 9. 23
6. Apoc. 22. II.



To be continued...
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

Without good works we cannot enter
heaven.
It is true, children that are baptized
and die before they reach the use of
reason, go straight to heaven ; they are children
of God, and heaven is their inheritance.
Likewise grown persons that die immediately
after Baptism, obtain heaven without
works on their part; but these are exceptions.
They go to heaven without having
performed good works because they have
not had time to perform such works.
The
ordinary Christian, however, who has reached
the use of reason must perform good works,
and so merit the joys of heaven. Heaven
is a reward, and a reward is given for good
deeds. "But lay up to yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither the rust nor
moth doth consume, and where thieves
do not break through, nor steal."
1 These
treasures that we are to lay up in heaven,
are our good works.



We have compared good works to oil which feeds the light of
sanctifying grace.
If we allow the oil to
run out, we shall be like the foolish virgins
of whom Our Lord speaks in the gospel.
They went to meet the bridegroom, but
neglected to keep oil in their lamps. When
He came they were not prepared, and the
bridegroom said to them, "I know you not,"
and the door of heaven was closed before
them.
If we come before Him without the
oil of good works, He will tell us also that
He does not know us as His own; if we
have no good works to show, He will have
nothing to do with us.
"Many are called
but few chosen,"
2 and St. Peter tells us to
make sure our vocation and election by
good works.
3 All are called to the kingdom
of heaven, but only they who make sure
their election by good works, are chosen. It
is by good works that we obtain the happiness
that God has destined for us from eternity.



To be continued...


1. 1 Matt. 6. 20
2. Matt. 20. 16
3. 2 Peter I. 10.
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

A gardener plants a tree ; he waters it, and
cares for it, in the hope that it will bring
forth good fruit ; if the tree disappoints the
hopes of the gardener, what does he do ?
Our Lord gives us the answer : "A certain
man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard,
and he came seeking fruit on it, and found
none. And he said to the dresser of the vineyard :
Behold, for these three years I come
seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none.
Cut it down therefore: why cumbereth it
the ground ? But he answering said to him :
Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig
about it, and dung it ; and if happily it bear
fruit ; but if not, then after that thou shalt cut
it down."
1 God does not punish
immediately, but gives time for repentance ;
He still
cares for him of whom He expects good
works;
but if after repeated gifts of grace,
he still shows no good works, He will cut
such a one down like the tree in the gospel.

"Every tree that doth not yield good fruit
shall be cut down and cast into the fire."

A tree is to bear fruit, and if it does not bear
fruit, it is good only to serve as wood for the
fire.
Before Baptism we were like a tree
growing wild ; by Baptism we were transplanted
into the vineyard of Jesus Christ,
the Catholic Church. Here we are to bring
forth the fruit of good works.
If we do not
do this, God may have patience with us for
a long time, but finally we shall be cut down
instead of being transplanted into the garden
of paradise, as God had intended that we
should be.



To be continued...


1 Luke 13. 6-9.
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

Heaven is, indeed, a gift which we receive
through the mercy of God; it is a gift which
Jesus obtained for us by His Passion and
death,
but we, too, are to earn it in and with
Jesus by good works.
Jesus has given us
grace and so made it possible for us to earn
heaven ; if we do not work to earn heaven,
God will treat us as He treated the unfaithful
servant in the gospel, He will cast us out into
exterior darkness, where there is
howling and gnashing of teeth.
Let us
consider this well now before it is too late ;

when one has lived badly and has wasted his
time in life, and death has come, then it is
too late to feel sorry for one's sins. No weeping
or regretting will free one from hell ; hell
does not give up its victims ; hell is eternal.

It is now that we must be sorry for sin and
improve our ways ; after death sorrow comes
too late. What we have sowed in life, that
shall we reap in death. Here is the place
for work ; hereafter, the place for reward or
punishment.
"Let us work while there is
day, for the night shall come when no man
can work."



To be continued...
Avatar de l’utilisateur
InHocSignoVinces
Messages : 2999
Inscription : dim. 26 août 2018 11:43
Localisation : Tharsis, Hispania

Re: DIVINE GRACE (in English)

Message par InHocSignoVinces »

Often we hear people say, " I am
not a thief, I am not a murderer, I have not
committed any great crimes, I need have no
fear of the judgment."
Yet, if we remember,
it was not because the fig-tree had done
anything evil that it was to be cut down ;
it
was because it had not brought forth good
fruits ; because it bore no fruit was the reason
it was to be cut down and thrown into the
fire.
In the same way the unfaithful servant
was not reprimanded because he had been
dishonest, or had stolen his master's money ;
no,
it was because he had not used it and
gained more with it; this was the reason
he was called unfaithful.
So it is with the
Christian ; it is insufficient not to do any
wrong, we must also do good.
Grace is given
us, both to avoid sin and to do good. We
must make use of grace for both purposes.

Sloth is one of the capital sins; not to do
good is to be lazy and slothful. Why was
Dives buried in hell ? We do not read that
he committed great crimes, but he was a
man of the world ; he used his wealth for
good living and neglected to help the poor.
He did not perform any works of charity ;
he saw Lazarus daily, lying before his
house, and neglected to help him; this
was the reason of his condemnation.
He
missed the purpose of his existence ; he
did not use the goods of this world rightly,
and he was cut out of the garden of God, and
cast into the fire to burn.
Had he performed
even some slight work of mercy, he might
have been saved, or, at least, his pains should
have been greatly diminished. Good works
are therefore necessary that we may enter
the kingdom of heaven.



To be continued...
Répondre

Revenir à « Texts in English »

Qui est en ligne ?

Utilisateurs parcourant ce forum : Aucun utilisateur inscrit et 6 invités