| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| justification/sanctifying grace, etc. | claire | Wednesday, February 2, 2005 |
Question: Hello Br. Ignatius, So glad to hear that your mother has recovered and is doing well. What good news! Now for my question: I have read the Catholic aritcles regarding justication, salvation, redemption...however, I am still unclear as to how to explain it in simple terms, and if I correctly understand them. To redeem means to "buy back", which is what Christ did for us on the cross, right? He purchased us from the bonds of sin so we are no longer slaves to sin, and the gates of heaven are opened to us. To justify, and this is where I am somewhat unclear I think, means that we are made right in God's eyes through His grace. What does that mean "made right"? What does it mean, in simple terms, if I am justified? I understand it is not earned (unmerited), but given by God's grace. What is grace and santifying grace? Is salvation the same thing as redemption? Thank you so much, and God bless you, from Claire |
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| Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM
Dear Claire: Let me quote the dictionary definition excerpts: Redemption: The salvation of humanity by Jesus Christ. Literally, to redeem means to free or buy back. You are correct, this redemption freed us from the bondage of the devil and to sin and thereby made available to us the potential promise of heaven. The redemption does not "save" everyone personally, but make possible our salvation. It give us the opportunity to choose God's friendship and thereby attain heaven. Justification: The process of a sinner becoming justified or made right with God. As defined by the Council of Trent, "Justification is the change from the condition in which a person is born as a child of the first Adam into a state of grace and adoption among the children of God though the Second Adam, Jesus Christ our Savior." On the negative side, justification is a true removal of sin, and not merely having one's sins ignored or no longer held against the sinner by God. On the positive side it is the supernatural sanctification and renewal of a person who thus becomes holy and pleasing to God and an heir of heaven. To put this in simple terms, "Justify" means "Just if I" never sinned. When we are justified our sins are removed and no longer exist. There are several ways to receive justification: 1) baptism of the infant upon the faith of the one requesting or conferring the baptism 2) adults are justified the first time either by personal faith, sorrow for sin and baptism, or by the perfect love of God in the baptism of desire, for example. 3) Adults who have committed post-baptismal grave sin are justified again in the Sacrament of Confession or perfect contrition of the sins. Justification comes daily by our faith worked out in love. St. James speaks of this when he says that faith without works is dead and that justification is not be faith alone. If we claim faith but do not express that faith in love to others, then our faith is dead, which means that it no longer operates. If our faith is not operational the we can have no justification. Justifying Grace: The grace by which a person is restored to God's friendship, either for the first time, as in baptism, or after baptism, as in the Sacrament of Confession. Sanctifying Grace: The supernatural state of being infused by God, which permanently inheres in the soul. ... It is called sanctifying grace because it makes holy those who possess the gift by giving them participation in the divine life. In otherwords, Sanctifying Grace is that grace which gives us the gift of a soul in a "state of grace". Salvation consists of four processes: 1) Redemption; 2) Justification; 3) Sanctification; 4) Glorification Salvation begins with redemption when Jesus redeemed the world on the Cross opening the door for the possibility of salvation, is made personal through justification, is lived out in sanctification (being made holy; growing in the possession of grace and likeness to God by faithfully corresponding with divine inspirations, and is fully realized and finalized in heaven (glorification) when we enter heaven and become irrevocably united with God in the beatific vision. God Bless, |
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