50. The Beginning, Growth, and Fullness of the Life of Grace
21. The First Justification, or the Beginning of the Supernatural Life
21a) Justification: The Birth of the Supernatural Life
Justification is the birth of the supernatural life. It involves a passage from nothingness and sin to grace (de fide).
The Council of Trent defined justification as “passing from the state in which man is born a son of the first Adam, to the state of grace and adoption as sons of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ our Savior.”1 This is not something that we merit, but is freely bestowed by God.
Sacred Scripture employs expressions that highlight the abyss from which a person is saved by divine mercy in becoming a child of God. Justification involves a new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). It is the generation of new supernatural life in one who was previously a sinner (cf. 1 Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5ff). It is an interior renewal (cf. Eph 4:23ff) and a sanctification (cf. 1 Cor 6:11). It is the passage from the state of death to that of life (cf. 1 Jn 3:14), from the state of darkness to that of light (cf. Col 1:13; Eph 5:8), from the ways of the flesh to those of the spirit (cf. Jn 3:5–6), from injustice to justice (cf. Rom 5:18–19), from slavery to freedom (cf. Rom 6:17–18), from uncleanness to purity (cf. 1 Cor 6:9ff; Eph 5:26), from the old man to the new man (cf. Eph 4:21ff), and from eternal damnation to salvation (cf. Ti 3:4–7).
Justification involves two simultaneously occurring things: the remission of sin and the infusion of grace and charity. These are not two changes that occur sequentially. They are two aspects of the same reality: The grace and charity infused into the soul wipe away and destroy sin, much in the same way that fire melts candle wax.
Justification is, at the same time, the reception of God’s justice through faith in Jesus Christ. By justice, we mean the righteousness of God’s love.
The Church teaches that only God’s infinite mercy is capable of bridging the abyss that lies between sin and grace. “The same Christ, the Son of God, at the end—and, in a sense, reaching further beyond the end—of his messianic mission, reveals himself to be the inexhaustible font of mercy, of that same love that, in the ulterior perspective of the history of salvation in the Church, perennially shows itself stronger than sin.”2 Each time God lifts a soul from the abyss of sin and places it in his paternal arms, he shows us that “love is always greater than weakness and sin.”3
Justification is granted to us through the merits of Christ’s Passion. He offered himself on the cross as a propitiatory victim for the sins of all.
Justification is the most excellent deed of God’s love. It is manifested in Jesus Christ and granted by the Holy Spirit according to the will of the Father.4
21b) Justification: A Participation in God’s Justice
Justification is a participation in the very justice of God (de fide).
The last end of every divine operation ad extra is the glory of God, who manifests and communicates his infinite goodness to the creature. The Redemption, for example, glorifies the Incarnate Word and Redeemer, who leads all those he redeems to eternal life. Justification also has for its final cause the “glory of God and of Christ, and eternal life.”5
God’s infinite mercy, as principal efficient cause, carries out the work of justification. The lesson we learn in the parable of the prodigal son is that love is transformed into mercy when the strict norm of justice has to be surpassed. The inexhaustible paternal love of God that leads him to be always faithful to his fatherhood and turns that lost sinner into a son once more: “The parable of the prodigal son expresses in a simple yet profound way the reality of conversion. It is the most concrete expression of the fruit of love and of the presence of mercy in the world of man.”6
Christ merited justification for us through his passion and death on the cross. He is the meritorious cause of our justification. “In the center (of the messianic mission of Christ) is the cross because it is on the cross that the revelation of merciful love achieves its summit.”7
Justification does not consist merely in the vicarious reparation that Christ offers on our behalf by virtue of which sin is not imputed to us. Rather, it essentially involves an inner renewal whereby we are rendered just or holy, with a holiness or justice that God himself imparts. This holiness--formal cause of justification—is not “the justice by which he himself is just, but the justice by which he makes us just, namely, the justice that we have as a gift from him and by which we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. And not only are we considered just, but we are truly said to be just, and we are just.”8
This supernatural life is first bestowed through the Sacrament of Baptism. If it is lost through mortal sin, it can be recovered in the Sacrament of Penance. These two sacraments are, therefore, the instrumental cause of justification. Through them, the infinite merits of Christ are applied to us.
21c) Man Cooperates in his Justification
Justification establishes cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom. On man’s part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent.9
With the help of actual grace, a sinner can and ought to dispose himself to receive the grace of justification (de fide).
The Magisterium of the Church affirms that God calls sinners so that they may, “awakened and assisted by his grace, be disposed to turn to their own justification by freely assenting to and cooperating with that grace. The result is that, when God touches the heart of man with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the man who accepts that inspiration certainly does something, since he could reject it; on the other hand, by his own free will, without God’s grace he could not take one step towards justice in God’s sight.”10 Justification is a free gift of God that one cannot merit.
These truths are reflected in Sacred Scripture. On one hand, we read, “Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored” (Lam 5:21); on the other, the word of God says, “Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you” (Zec 1:3).
Without faith, an adult cannot be justified (de fide).
This was defined by the Council of Trent: Faith “is the beginning, the foundation, and the root of all justification”11; “without it, no one has ever been justified.”12
The Church teaches us that we must believe that Christ has redeemed us. “To believe in the Crucified Son means to see the Father; it means to believe that love is present in the world and that this love is stronger than all the evils that plague man, humanity, and the world. To believe in this love means to believe in mercy.”13 Along With this revealed truth, we must believe all the other divinely revealed truths and promises. The faith that is necessary for salvation is the faith professed by the Church.
Faith is a personal act; one’s free response to God who reveals. That is why we say, “I believe.” Still, faith is not an isolated act. No one can be the origin of his own life or live “all by himself.” Likewise, no one can be the origin of his own faith, or believe isolated, “all by himself.” The Church is the first to believe. She leads, nourishes, and sustains each Christian in the faith. Thus, we also say, “We believe.” Every believer has received his faith from another. Thus, he should transmit it to someone else. Our love for Jesus Christ and all mankind compels us to talk to others about our faith.14
Our faith is an objective faith; it has real content. Thus, it is different from what is called “fiducial faith,” or the simple confidence in divine mercy. Faith must act “through charity” (Gal 5:6; cf. Jas 2:14–26), be sustained by hope (cf. Rom 15:13), and be rooted in the faith of the Church.15
No doubt, filial confidence in divine mercy is the fruit of objective faith. It disposes one to know divine revelation better in order to adhere to it. But, of itself, “fiducial faith” does not suffice for justification. Hence, the Church condemned the thesis that “the faith that justifies is none other than the fiducial faith in divine mercy.”16
Other predisposing acts must go hand in hand with faith (de fide).
The Council of Trent declared that, in addition to faith, other predisposing acts are required.17 It mentions the following: fear of divine justice, confidence in divine mercy through the merits of Christ, the initial movements of charity, hatred of and abhorrence for sin, the resolve to do penance, the reception of Baptism, and to amend one’s life. All these internal acts should translate into deeds—the study of the Catechism, consulting a priest, or changing one’s habitual environment if necessary. These deeds go hand in hand with faith and pave the way for the justification that is received in Baptism.
After Baptism, the Christian has to fight to fulfill the divine precepts and be docile to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit if he wishes to sustain and deepen his spiritual life. Faith must be preserved: “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tm 1:18–19).
22. The Growth, Loss, or Stagnation of the Spiritual Life
22a) Grace is Lost through Mortal Sin
The grace of justification can be lost through mortal sin (de fide).
This dogma contradicts the heresy of Calvin, who said that grace can never be lost, and that of some Lutherans, who say that justice is lost only through the sin of disbelief or the loss of fiducial faith. The Council of Trent defined, “the grace of justification … is lost not only by unbelief, which causes the loss of faith, but also by any other mortal sin, even though faith is not lost.”18
The habitual grace received in Baptism is like a seed that virtually contains the full-grown plant. Theologians refer to grace as semen gloriae, “the seed of glory,” because the state of heavenly bliss is the full flowering of the life of grace that can no longer be lost. Heavenly glory is to grace what the full-grown plant is to the seed. Hence, grace is also called “the principle or beginning of glory” (inchoatio gloriae).
As long as we journey along our earthly pilgrimage, there is always a real possibility of losing the life of grace, just as any incipient life can be forfeited due to unwholesome environments. “We Christians carry the great treasures of grace in vessels of clay (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). God has entrusted his gifts to the weakness and fragility of human freedom. We can be certain of the help of God’s power, but our lust, our love of comfort, and our pride sometimes cause us to reject his grace and to fall into sin.”19
Because of this inclination to sin, which is a consequence of original sin, one cannot be absolutely assured of being in God’s grace (although there are signs that may warrant a moral certainty),20 nor of one’s final perseverance unless by an extraordinary revelation of God.21
Given the pilgrim state of a creature who still must reach his destination, deep humility—which grows with self-knowledge—is needed. “Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man’s dignity—and of the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God—forms a single attitude. It is not our own forces that save us and give us life; it is the grace of God. This is a truth which can never be forgotten. If it were, the divinization of our life would be perverted and would become presumption, pride. And this would lead, sooner or later, to a breakdown of spiritual life, when the soul came face to face with its own weakness and wretchedness.”22
On the other hand, if we are humble and fight with determination, we will never lack divine help to fulfill God’s commandments.
Experience of sin, then, should not make us doubt our mission. True, our sins can make it difficult to recognize Christ. That is why we must face up to our personal miseries and seek to purify ourselves. But in doing this, we must realize that God has not promised us a complete victory over evil in this life. Instead he asks us to fight. “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9), our Lord replied to St. Paul, when he wanted to be freed of the “thorn in his flesh” that humiliated him.
The power of God is made manifest in our weakness and it spurs us on to fight, to battle against our defects, although we know that we will never achieve total victory during our pilgrimage on earth. The Christian life is a continuous beginning-again each day. It renews itself over and over.23
If a Christian loses the life of grace through mortal sin, God will not deny that person the actual graces—provided he cooperates—that will lead to repentance and to the Sacrament of Confession, just as he gives actual graces to the person who is preparing to receive Baptism.
22b) Effects of Venial Sin
Venial sin does not destroy or diminish habitual grace, but it does weaken the ardor of charity and paves the way for mortal sin (de fide eccl.).
The Council of Trent implicitly alludes to this doctrine when it exhorts the faithful to exert effort in fulfilling the commandments more conscientiously.24
Traditionally, theologians have distinguished between venial sins that are brought about more by inadvertence than bad will, and those venial sins that are committed deliberately. Venial sins of the latter sort pose the greater threat to the spiritual life because they clearly reveal that the will is ill disposed toward the duty of striving for sanctity.
I already know that you avoid mortal sins. You want to be saved! But you are not worried about that constant and deliberate falling into venial sins, even though in each case you feel God’s call to conquer yourself.
It is your lukewarmness that makes you so badly disposed.25
In that state, the exercise of the supernatural virtues is half-hearted and the acts proper to the gifts of the Holy Spirit are paralyzed. Such a supernatural life is weak and never gets beyond the stage of beginners.
There is one case that we should be especially sorry about: that of Christians who could do more and don’t. Christians who could live all the consequences of their vocation as children of God, but refuse to do so through lack of generosity. We are partly to blame, for the grace of faith has not been given to us to hide but to share with other men (cf. Mt 5:15–16). We cannot forget that the happiness of these people, in this life and in the next, is at stake. The Christian life is a divine wonder with immediate promises of satisfaction and serenity—but on condition that we know how to recognize the gift of God (cf. Jn 4:10) and be generous, not counting the cost.26
22c) The Merit of Good Works
Merit, in general, is the due retribution given by the community for the good actions of one of its members. Strictly speaking, mankind cannot claim any merit before God. People have received everything from him, their Creator; even their good works are God’s gifts. The merit of a Christian before God results from God’s decision to freely associate humanity to the works of his grace. The paternal action of God comes first, then the person acts freely—influenced by God—cooperating with grace. The merit should be attributed first to God, then to the Christian faithful. Our divine filiation, which makes us sharers of the divine nature, gives us a right to true merit according to the gratuitous justice of God.27
The just man, by means of good works, acquires a genuine right to a reward from God (de fide).
The Church has defined, “If good works are carried out, they merit a reward; but in order to be carried out, they must be preceded by grace, and grace is not owed to anyone.”28 The Council of Trent clearly expresses the nature of this merit: “God’s goodness towards all men is such that he wants his gifts to be their merits.”29 The Council emphasizes that one “truly merits” (vere mereri), and that the merit is de condigno (based on justice).30
In Sacred Scripture, eternal bliss is described as a reward, a wage, a remuneration, and a trophy. Jesus promises a heavenly reward to those who suffer persecution for his name’s sake: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:12). The judge of the last judgment will base his verdict on the good works of the just: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food” (Mt 25:34–35). The theme of reward is frequent in the words of the Lord (cf. Mt 19:29; 25:21; Lk 6:38). St. Paul, who places great stress on the value of grace, also emphasizes the merits that are earned by good works: “He will render to every man according to his works” (Rom 2:6); “Each shall receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor 3:8). He refers to heaven as the “crown of justice” (2 Tm 4:8) that is to be conferred by the just judge.
The basis of supernatural merit is the divine promise, the fidelity of God to his word, and his love. St. Augustine, meditating on this truth, was led to exclaim, “In the context of grace, what wonder to behold the nature of man’s merit! Indeed, it is through merit that man can obtain grace; and yet, it is but the working of grace that obtains for us all the merits that we receive, so that when God crowns our merits he does nothing else but crown his own gifts.”31
22d) The Merit of Man in State of Grace
By means of good works, a person in the state of grace merits an increase of sanctifying grace, eternal life, and the increase of heavenly glory (de fide).
This is the definition of the Council of Trent.32 “Hence, the just themselves should feel a greater obligation to walk in the way of justice because, now set free from sin and became slaves of God (cf. Rom 6:22), living temperately and justly and piously (cf. Ti 2:12), they can advance [in holiness] through Christ Jesus.”33
Growth in sanctifying grace also involves the growth of the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for the virtues and gifts inhere more deeply in the soul and its potentialities, and are rendered more operative.
The growth of the supernatural virtues is governed by laws that differ from those applicable to the growth of human virtues. The latter grow by repetition of acts, so each new virtuous act perfects the corresponding habit. On the other hand, in the supernatural order, acts of virtue carried out under the impulse of grace and with the full cooperation of the subject merit growth—which is bestowed by God—not only for the virtue involved, but also for the entire supernatural organism.
23. Toward Holiness
23a) Holiness of Christian Life
Christian life bears fruits of sanctity (de fide).
Belief in the holiness of the Church is contained in the Creed: “I believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” (Credo … in Ecclesiam, unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam).
In the religious sphere man is still man and God is still God. In this sphere the peak of progress has already been reached. And that peak is Christ, alpha and omega, the beginning of all things and their end (cf. Rv 21:6).
In the spiritual life, there is no new era to come. Everything is already there, in Christ who died and rose again, who lives and stays with us always. But we have to join him through faith, letting his life show forth in ours to such an extent that each Christian is not simply alter Christus: another Christ, but ipse Christus: Christ himself!34
All the saints have attained this objective. In heaven, they form a firmament of varying degrees of splendor, and constitute a reflection of Christ, who is the only Sun. The Church continues to confer the title of “blessed” or “saint” on some Christians who have finished their earthly course. However, the number of the blessed in heaven is so numerous that it is impossible to know them all. This is the reason for the celebration of the feast of All Saints. At present, the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints devotes itself to studying—as thoroughly as is humanly possible—the lives of those servants of God whose processes of beatification and canonization are underway. The final verdict, which falls within the scope of the prerogative of infallibility, is reserved to the Roman pontiff.
Material for this formal declaration exists when it is possible to prove the heroic degree of the supernatural virtues (theological and moral) of a servant of God with certainty, and the eminent degree of the action of the Holy Spirit (through his gifts) upon the “good and faithful” servant. Whatever one had preached or written in doctrinal matters must also be in accord with the objective faith upheld by the Magisterium and with the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and especially counsel. The miracles that have been recognized as such by the Church are manifestations of the divine placet toward the Church’s sanctioning public cult to a new blessed or saint.
The vast majority of souls who enter heaven, however, do not become the object of such a judgment by the Church on earth.
23b) The Universal Call to Sanctity
The vocation to sanctity is universal (de fide eccl.).
The Second Vatican Council has solemnly reminded us that “all Christians, in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”35
We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St. Paul: “This is God’s will for you, your sanctification” (1 Thes 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal, and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints.36
The Second Vatican Council has officially sanctioned the teaching that inspired the preaching and life of the Founder of Opus Dei, as well as the lives of thousands of men and women belonging to the ranks of the ordinary Christian faithful. This teaching now forms part of the frequent exhortations of the Magisterium:
The Pope exhorts all lay people to live up to their dignity and responsibility with integrity and vigor. The Pope counts on the lay people and expects a great many things from them for the glory of God and the service of men. Yes, as I have already said, the Christian vocation is essentially apostolic. It is only in this dimension of service to the Gospel that the Christian will find the fullness of his dignity and responsibility.
Indeed, the laity incorporated into Christ by Baptism, and who form part of the People of God, and who in their own way share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, are called to sanctity and are sent to announce and spread the kingdom of Christ until he comes.37
The path of sanctity leads to the cross. There is no sanctity without self-denial or without spiritual combat (cf. 2 Tm 4). “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
Grace also includes the gifts that the Holy Spirit grants us to associate us to his work and be able to cooperate in the salvation of the others. These are the sacramental graces, proper to every sacrament.
The Holy Spirit can also distribute special graces and charisms (graces gratis datae) for the good of the entire Church. Among the special graces there are the graces of state, which accompany the exercise of the responsibilities of Christian life and ministries within the Church. Lastly, it must be noted that the Holy Spirit can inspire—and has in fact inspired—extraordinary paths of sanctity, and bestow exceptional gifts. All these special graces (charisms, miraculous powers, and gift of tongues) are ordained to sanctifying grace and are at the service of charity, which builds the Church (cf. 1 Cor 12).38 Nevertheless, the fullness of Christian life wanted by God for the vast majority of the faithful is to be found along the paths of ordinary life.
I am not talking about extraordinary situations. These are, they may very well be, ordinary happenings within our soul: a loving craziness which, without any fuss or extravagance, teaches us how to suffer and how to live, because God grants us his wisdom. What calm, what peace is ours once we have embarked upon “the narrow road that leads on to life” (Mt 7:14)!
Asceticism, mysticism? I don’t mind what you call it. Whichever it is, asceticism or mysticism, does not matter. Either way, it is a gift of God’s mercy. If you try to meditate, our Lord will not deny you his assistance. Faith and deeds of faith are what matter: deeds, because, as you have known from the beginning and as I told you clearly at the time, the Lord demands more from us each day. This is already contemplation and union. This is the way many Christians should live, each one forging ahead along his own spiritual path (there are countless paths) in the midst of the cares of the world, even though he may not even realize what is happening to him.39
Footnotes:
1. DS 1524; cf. CCC, 1987–1995.
2. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 8.
3. John Paul II, Homily at the ordination of priests in Valencia, Spain, Nov. 8, 1982.
4. Cf. CCC, 1989–1995.
5. DS 1429; cf. CCC, 1992.
6. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 5; cf. CCC, 1994.
7. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 8; cf. CCC, 1992.
8. DS 1529; cf. CCC, 1990.
9. CCC, 1993.
10. DS 1525; cf. CCC, 160, 1993, 2002.
11. DS 1532; cf. CCC, 1987, 1991.
12. DS 1529; cf. CCC, 161.
13. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 7.
14. Cf. CCC, 166.
15. Cf. CCC, 162.
16. DS 1562, 1533ff.
17. Cf. DS 1559.
18. DS 1544.
19. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 131.
20. Cf. DS 1534; CCC, 2005.
21. Cf. DS 1540.
22. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 133.
23. Ibid., 114.
24. Cf. DS 1536–1538.
25. St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 327.
26. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 147.
27. Cf. CCC, 2006–2011.
28. DS 388.
29. DS 1548.
30. Cf. DS 1582.
31. St. Augustine, Ep., 194.5.19.
32. Cf. DS 1545–1548, 1582.
33. DS 1537.
34. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 104; cf. CCC, 2012–2016.
35. LG, 40.
36. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Friends of God, 294.
37. John Paul II, Homily in the Mass at Toledo, Spain, Nov. 4, 1982; cf. LG, 31.
38. Cf. CCC, 2003.
39. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Friends of God, 307–308.
21a) Justification: The Birth of the Supernatural Life
Justification is the birth of the supernatural life. It involves a passage from nothingness and sin to grace (de fide).
The Council of Trent defined justification as “passing from the state in which man is born a son of the first Adam, to the state of grace and adoption as sons of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ our Savior.”1 This is not something that we merit, but is freely bestowed by God.
Sacred Scripture employs expressions that highlight the abyss from which a person is saved by divine mercy in becoming a child of God. Justification involves a new creation (cf. 2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15). It is the generation of new supernatural life in one who was previously a sinner (cf. 1 Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5ff). It is an interior renewal (cf. Eph 4:23ff) and a sanctification (cf. 1 Cor 6:11). It is the passage from the state of death to that of life (cf. 1 Jn 3:14), from the state of darkness to that of light (cf. Col 1:13; Eph 5:8), from the ways of the flesh to those of the spirit (cf. Jn 3:5–6), from injustice to justice (cf. Rom 5:18–19), from slavery to freedom (cf. Rom 6:17–18), from uncleanness to purity (cf. 1 Cor 6:9ff; Eph 5:26), from the old man to the new man (cf. Eph 4:21ff), and from eternal damnation to salvation (cf. Ti 3:4–7).
Justification involves two simultaneously occurring things: the remission of sin and the infusion of grace and charity. These are not two changes that occur sequentially. They are two aspects of the same reality: The grace and charity infused into the soul wipe away and destroy sin, much in the same way that fire melts candle wax.
Justification is, at the same time, the reception of God’s justice through faith in Jesus Christ. By justice, we mean the righteousness of God’s love.
The Church teaches that only God’s infinite mercy is capable of bridging the abyss that lies between sin and grace. “The same Christ, the Son of God, at the end—and, in a sense, reaching further beyond the end—of his messianic mission, reveals himself to be the inexhaustible font of mercy, of that same love that, in the ulterior perspective of the history of salvation in the Church, perennially shows itself stronger than sin.”2 Each time God lifts a soul from the abyss of sin and places it in his paternal arms, he shows us that “love is always greater than weakness and sin.”3
Justification is granted to us through the merits of Christ’s Passion. He offered himself on the cross as a propitiatory victim for the sins of all.
Justification is the most excellent deed of God’s love. It is manifested in Jesus Christ and granted by the Holy Spirit according to the will of the Father.4
21b) Justification: A Participation in God’s Justice
Justification is a participation in the very justice of God (de fide).
The last end of every divine operation ad extra is the glory of God, who manifests and communicates his infinite goodness to the creature. The Redemption, for example, glorifies the Incarnate Word and Redeemer, who leads all those he redeems to eternal life. Justification also has for its final cause the “glory of God and of Christ, and eternal life.”5
God’s infinite mercy, as principal efficient cause, carries out the work of justification. The lesson we learn in the parable of the prodigal son is that love is transformed into mercy when the strict norm of justice has to be surpassed. The inexhaustible paternal love of God that leads him to be always faithful to his fatherhood and turns that lost sinner into a son once more: “The parable of the prodigal son expresses in a simple yet profound way the reality of conversion. It is the most concrete expression of the fruit of love and of the presence of mercy in the world of man.”6
Christ merited justification for us through his passion and death on the cross. He is the meritorious cause of our justification. “In the center (of the messianic mission of Christ) is the cross because it is on the cross that the revelation of merciful love achieves its summit.”7
Justification does not consist merely in the vicarious reparation that Christ offers on our behalf by virtue of which sin is not imputed to us. Rather, it essentially involves an inner renewal whereby we are rendered just or holy, with a holiness or justice that God himself imparts. This holiness--formal cause of justification—is not “the justice by which he himself is just, but the justice by which he makes us just, namely, the justice that we have as a gift from him and by which we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. And not only are we considered just, but we are truly said to be just, and we are just.”8
This supernatural life is first bestowed through the Sacrament of Baptism. If it is lost through mortal sin, it can be recovered in the Sacrament of Penance. These two sacraments are, therefore, the instrumental cause of justification. Through them, the infinite merits of Christ are applied to us.
21c) Man Cooperates in his Justification
Justification establishes cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom. On man’s part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent.9
With the help of actual grace, a sinner can and ought to dispose himself to receive the grace of justification (de fide).
The Magisterium of the Church affirms that God calls sinners so that they may, “awakened and assisted by his grace, be disposed to turn to their own justification by freely assenting to and cooperating with that grace. The result is that, when God touches the heart of man with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the man who accepts that inspiration certainly does something, since he could reject it; on the other hand, by his own free will, without God’s grace he could not take one step towards justice in God’s sight.”10 Justification is a free gift of God that one cannot merit.
These truths are reflected in Sacred Scripture. On one hand, we read, “Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored” (Lam 5:21); on the other, the word of God says, “Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you” (Zec 1:3).
Without faith, an adult cannot be justified (de fide).
This was defined by the Council of Trent: Faith “is the beginning, the foundation, and the root of all justification”11; “without it, no one has ever been justified.”12
The Church teaches us that we must believe that Christ has redeemed us. “To believe in the Crucified Son means to see the Father; it means to believe that love is present in the world and that this love is stronger than all the evils that plague man, humanity, and the world. To believe in this love means to believe in mercy.”13 Along With this revealed truth, we must believe all the other divinely revealed truths and promises. The faith that is necessary for salvation is the faith professed by the Church.
Faith is a personal act; one’s free response to God who reveals. That is why we say, “I believe.” Still, faith is not an isolated act. No one can be the origin of his own life or live “all by himself.” Likewise, no one can be the origin of his own faith, or believe isolated, “all by himself.” The Church is the first to believe. She leads, nourishes, and sustains each Christian in the faith. Thus, we also say, “We believe.” Every believer has received his faith from another. Thus, he should transmit it to someone else. Our love for Jesus Christ and all mankind compels us to talk to others about our faith.14
Our faith is an objective faith; it has real content. Thus, it is different from what is called “fiducial faith,” or the simple confidence in divine mercy. Faith must act “through charity” (Gal 5:6; cf. Jas 2:14–26), be sustained by hope (cf. Rom 15:13), and be rooted in the faith of the Church.15
No doubt, filial confidence in divine mercy is the fruit of objective faith. It disposes one to know divine revelation better in order to adhere to it. But, of itself, “fiducial faith” does not suffice for justification. Hence, the Church condemned the thesis that “the faith that justifies is none other than the fiducial faith in divine mercy.”16
Other predisposing acts must go hand in hand with faith (de fide).
The Council of Trent declared that, in addition to faith, other predisposing acts are required.17 It mentions the following: fear of divine justice, confidence in divine mercy through the merits of Christ, the initial movements of charity, hatred of and abhorrence for sin, the resolve to do penance, the reception of Baptism, and to amend one’s life. All these internal acts should translate into deeds—the study of the Catechism, consulting a priest, or changing one’s habitual environment if necessary. These deeds go hand in hand with faith and pave the way for the justification that is received in Baptism.
After Baptism, the Christian has to fight to fulfill the divine precepts and be docile to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit if he wishes to sustain and deepen his spiritual life. Faith must be preserved: “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tm 1:18–19).
22. The Growth, Loss, or Stagnation of the Spiritual Life
22a) Grace is Lost through Mortal Sin
The grace of justification can be lost through mortal sin (de fide).
This dogma contradicts the heresy of Calvin, who said that grace can never be lost, and that of some Lutherans, who say that justice is lost only through the sin of disbelief or the loss of fiducial faith. The Council of Trent defined, “the grace of justification … is lost not only by unbelief, which causes the loss of faith, but also by any other mortal sin, even though faith is not lost.”18
The habitual grace received in Baptism is like a seed that virtually contains the full-grown plant. Theologians refer to grace as semen gloriae, “the seed of glory,” because the state of heavenly bliss is the full flowering of the life of grace that can no longer be lost. Heavenly glory is to grace what the full-grown plant is to the seed. Hence, grace is also called “the principle or beginning of glory” (inchoatio gloriae).
As long as we journey along our earthly pilgrimage, there is always a real possibility of losing the life of grace, just as any incipient life can be forfeited due to unwholesome environments. “We Christians carry the great treasures of grace in vessels of clay (cf. 2 Cor 4:7). God has entrusted his gifts to the weakness and fragility of human freedom. We can be certain of the help of God’s power, but our lust, our love of comfort, and our pride sometimes cause us to reject his grace and to fall into sin.”19
Because of this inclination to sin, which is a consequence of original sin, one cannot be absolutely assured of being in God’s grace (although there are signs that may warrant a moral certainty),20 nor of one’s final perseverance unless by an extraordinary revelation of God.21
Given the pilgrim state of a creature who still must reach his destination, deep humility—which grows with self-knowledge—is needed. “Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man’s dignity—and of the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God—forms a single attitude. It is not our own forces that save us and give us life; it is the grace of God. This is a truth which can never be forgotten. If it were, the divinization of our life would be perverted and would become presumption, pride. And this would lead, sooner or later, to a breakdown of spiritual life, when the soul came face to face with its own weakness and wretchedness.”22
On the other hand, if we are humble and fight with determination, we will never lack divine help to fulfill God’s commandments.
Experience of sin, then, should not make us doubt our mission. True, our sins can make it difficult to recognize Christ. That is why we must face up to our personal miseries and seek to purify ourselves. But in doing this, we must realize that God has not promised us a complete victory over evil in this life. Instead he asks us to fight. “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9), our Lord replied to St. Paul, when he wanted to be freed of the “thorn in his flesh” that humiliated him.
The power of God is made manifest in our weakness and it spurs us on to fight, to battle against our defects, although we know that we will never achieve total victory during our pilgrimage on earth. The Christian life is a continuous beginning-again each day. It renews itself over and over.23
If a Christian loses the life of grace through mortal sin, God will not deny that person the actual graces—provided he cooperates—that will lead to repentance and to the Sacrament of Confession, just as he gives actual graces to the person who is preparing to receive Baptism.
22b) Effects of Venial Sin
Venial sin does not destroy or diminish habitual grace, but it does weaken the ardor of charity and paves the way for mortal sin (de fide eccl.).
The Council of Trent implicitly alludes to this doctrine when it exhorts the faithful to exert effort in fulfilling the commandments more conscientiously.24
Traditionally, theologians have distinguished between venial sins that are brought about more by inadvertence than bad will, and those venial sins that are committed deliberately. Venial sins of the latter sort pose the greater threat to the spiritual life because they clearly reveal that the will is ill disposed toward the duty of striving for sanctity.
I already know that you avoid mortal sins. You want to be saved! But you are not worried about that constant and deliberate falling into venial sins, even though in each case you feel God’s call to conquer yourself.
It is your lukewarmness that makes you so badly disposed.25
In that state, the exercise of the supernatural virtues is half-hearted and the acts proper to the gifts of the Holy Spirit are paralyzed. Such a supernatural life is weak and never gets beyond the stage of beginners.
There is one case that we should be especially sorry about: that of Christians who could do more and don’t. Christians who could live all the consequences of their vocation as children of God, but refuse to do so through lack of generosity. We are partly to blame, for the grace of faith has not been given to us to hide but to share with other men (cf. Mt 5:15–16). We cannot forget that the happiness of these people, in this life and in the next, is at stake. The Christian life is a divine wonder with immediate promises of satisfaction and serenity—but on condition that we know how to recognize the gift of God (cf. Jn 4:10) and be generous, not counting the cost.26
22c) The Merit of Good Works
Merit, in general, is the due retribution given by the community for the good actions of one of its members. Strictly speaking, mankind cannot claim any merit before God. People have received everything from him, their Creator; even their good works are God’s gifts. The merit of a Christian before God results from God’s decision to freely associate humanity to the works of his grace. The paternal action of God comes first, then the person acts freely—influenced by God—cooperating with grace. The merit should be attributed first to God, then to the Christian faithful. Our divine filiation, which makes us sharers of the divine nature, gives us a right to true merit according to the gratuitous justice of God.27
The just man, by means of good works, acquires a genuine right to a reward from God (de fide).
The Church has defined, “If good works are carried out, they merit a reward; but in order to be carried out, they must be preceded by grace, and grace is not owed to anyone.”28 The Council of Trent clearly expresses the nature of this merit: “God’s goodness towards all men is such that he wants his gifts to be their merits.”29 The Council emphasizes that one “truly merits” (vere mereri), and that the merit is de condigno (based on justice).30
In Sacred Scripture, eternal bliss is described as a reward, a wage, a remuneration, and a trophy. Jesus promises a heavenly reward to those who suffer persecution for his name’s sake: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Mt 5:12). The judge of the last judgment will base his verdict on the good works of the just: “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food” (Mt 25:34–35). The theme of reward is frequent in the words of the Lord (cf. Mt 19:29; 25:21; Lk 6:38). St. Paul, who places great stress on the value of grace, also emphasizes the merits that are earned by good works: “He will render to every man according to his works” (Rom 2:6); “Each shall receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor 3:8). He refers to heaven as the “crown of justice” (2 Tm 4:8) that is to be conferred by the just judge.
The basis of supernatural merit is the divine promise, the fidelity of God to his word, and his love. St. Augustine, meditating on this truth, was led to exclaim, “In the context of grace, what wonder to behold the nature of man’s merit! Indeed, it is through merit that man can obtain grace; and yet, it is but the working of grace that obtains for us all the merits that we receive, so that when God crowns our merits he does nothing else but crown his own gifts.”31
22d) The Merit of Man in State of Grace
By means of good works, a person in the state of grace merits an increase of sanctifying grace, eternal life, and the increase of heavenly glory (de fide).
This is the definition of the Council of Trent.32 “Hence, the just themselves should feel a greater obligation to walk in the way of justice because, now set free from sin and became slaves of God (cf. Rom 6:22), living temperately and justly and piously (cf. Ti 2:12), they can advance [in holiness] through Christ Jesus.”33
Growth in sanctifying grace also involves the growth of the supernatural virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, for the virtues and gifts inhere more deeply in the soul and its potentialities, and are rendered more operative.
The growth of the supernatural virtues is governed by laws that differ from those applicable to the growth of human virtues. The latter grow by repetition of acts, so each new virtuous act perfects the corresponding habit. On the other hand, in the supernatural order, acts of virtue carried out under the impulse of grace and with the full cooperation of the subject merit growth—which is bestowed by God—not only for the virtue involved, but also for the entire supernatural organism.
23. Toward Holiness
23a) Holiness of Christian Life
Christian life bears fruits of sanctity (de fide).
Belief in the holiness of the Church is contained in the Creed: “I believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” (Credo … in Ecclesiam, unam, sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam).
In the religious sphere man is still man and God is still God. In this sphere the peak of progress has already been reached. And that peak is Christ, alpha and omega, the beginning of all things and their end (cf. Rv 21:6).
In the spiritual life, there is no new era to come. Everything is already there, in Christ who died and rose again, who lives and stays with us always. But we have to join him through faith, letting his life show forth in ours to such an extent that each Christian is not simply alter Christus: another Christ, but ipse Christus: Christ himself!34
All the saints have attained this objective. In heaven, they form a firmament of varying degrees of splendor, and constitute a reflection of Christ, who is the only Sun. The Church continues to confer the title of “blessed” or “saint” on some Christians who have finished their earthly course. However, the number of the blessed in heaven is so numerous that it is impossible to know them all. This is the reason for the celebration of the feast of All Saints. At present, the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints devotes itself to studying—as thoroughly as is humanly possible—the lives of those servants of God whose processes of beatification and canonization are underway. The final verdict, which falls within the scope of the prerogative of infallibility, is reserved to the Roman pontiff.
Material for this formal declaration exists when it is possible to prove the heroic degree of the supernatural virtues (theological and moral) of a servant of God with certainty, and the eminent degree of the action of the Holy Spirit (through his gifts) upon the “good and faithful” servant. Whatever one had preached or written in doctrinal matters must also be in accord with the objective faith upheld by the Magisterium and with the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and especially counsel. The miracles that have been recognized as such by the Church are manifestations of the divine placet toward the Church’s sanctioning public cult to a new blessed or saint.
The vast majority of souls who enter heaven, however, do not become the object of such a judgment by the Church on earth.
23b) The Universal Call to Sanctity
The vocation to sanctity is universal (de fide eccl.).
The Second Vatican Council has solemnly reminded us that “all Christians, in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”35
We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St. Paul: “This is God’s will for you, your sanctification” (1 Thes 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal, and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints.36
The Second Vatican Council has officially sanctioned the teaching that inspired the preaching and life of the Founder of Opus Dei, as well as the lives of thousands of men and women belonging to the ranks of the ordinary Christian faithful. This teaching now forms part of the frequent exhortations of the Magisterium:
The Pope exhorts all lay people to live up to their dignity and responsibility with integrity and vigor. The Pope counts on the lay people and expects a great many things from them for the glory of God and the service of men. Yes, as I have already said, the Christian vocation is essentially apostolic. It is only in this dimension of service to the Gospel that the Christian will find the fullness of his dignity and responsibility.
Indeed, the laity incorporated into Christ by Baptism, and who form part of the People of God, and who in their own way share in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office of Christ, are called to sanctity and are sent to announce and spread the kingdom of Christ until he comes.37
The path of sanctity leads to the cross. There is no sanctity without self-denial or without spiritual combat (cf. 2 Tm 4). “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).
Grace also includes the gifts that the Holy Spirit grants us to associate us to his work and be able to cooperate in the salvation of the others. These are the sacramental graces, proper to every sacrament.
The Holy Spirit can also distribute special graces and charisms (graces gratis datae) for the good of the entire Church. Among the special graces there are the graces of state, which accompany the exercise of the responsibilities of Christian life and ministries within the Church. Lastly, it must be noted that the Holy Spirit can inspire—and has in fact inspired—extraordinary paths of sanctity, and bestow exceptional gifts. All these special graces (charisms, miraculous powers, and gift of tongues) are ordained to sanctifying grace and are at the service of charity, which builds the Church (cf. 1 Cor 12).38 Nevertheless, the fullness of Christian life wanted by God for the vast majority of the faithful is to be found along the paths of ordinary life.
I am not talking about extraordinary situations. These are, they may very well be, ordinary happenings within our soul: a loving craziness which, without any fuss or extravagance, teaches us how to suffer and how to live, because God grants us his wisdom. What calm, what peace is ours once we have embarked upon “the narrow road that leads on to life” (Mt 7:14)!
Asceticism, mysticism? I don’t mind what you call it. Whichever it is, asceticism or mysticism, does not matter. Either way, it is a gift of God’s mercy. If you try to meditate, our Lord will not deny you his assistance. Faith and deeds of faith are what matter: deeds, because, as you have known from the beginning and as I told you clearly at the time, the Lord demands more from us each day. This is already contemplation and union. This is the way many Christians should live, each one forging ahead along his own spiritual path (there are countless paths) in the midst of the cares of the world, even though he may not even realize what is happening to him.39
Footnotes:
1. DS 1524; cf. CCC, 1987–1995.
2. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 8.
3. John Paul II, Homily at the ordination of priests in Valencia, Spain, Nov. 8, 1982.
4. Cf. CCC, 1989–1995.
5. DS 1429; cf. CCC, 1992.
6. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 5; cf. CCC, 1994.
7. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 8; cf. CCC, 1992.
8. DS 1529; cf. CCC, 1990.
9. CCC, 1993.
10. DS 1525; cf. CCC, 160, 1993, 2002.
11. DS 1532; cf. CCC, 1987, 1991.
12. DS 1529; cf. CCC, 161.
13. John Paul II, Enc. Dives in Misericordia, 7.
14. Cf. CCC, 166.
15. Cf. CCC, 162.
16. DS 1562, 1533ff.
17. Cf. DS 1559.
18. DS 1544.
19. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 131.
20. Cf. DS 1534; CCC, 2005.
21. Cf. DS 1540.
22. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 133.
23. Ibid., 114.
24. Cf. DS 1536–1538.
25. St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, 327.
26. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 147.
27. Cf. CCC, 2006–2011.
28. DS 388.
29. DS 1548.
30. Cf. DS 1582.
31. St. Augustine, Ep., 194.5.19.
32. Cf. DS 1545–1548, 1582.
33. DS 1537.
34. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ is Passing By, 104; cf. CCC, 2012–2016.
35. LG, 40.
36. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Friends of God, 294.
37. John Paul II, Homily in the Mass at Toledo, Spain, Nov. 4, 1982; cf. LG, 31.
38. Cf. CCC, 2003.
39. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Friends of God, 307–308.