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Christ, and enter into a spiritual connection with Him; but with the Catholic this adherence is not a mere connection of ideas, nor a mere recognition of religious truths, nor a mere theoretic and naked faith, but a vivifying practical faith which, in the renewal or regeneration of spirit, changes the sinner from an unjust to a just man, and makes him an adopted son of God. Faith is the basis, but sanctifying grace which with charity and other supernatural virtues, is unfused into the soul, is the principle or substantial force of this regeneration. Love must vivify faith before man becomes truly pleasing to God. Faith in love and love in faith form an inseparable unity in the work of the sinner's justification.

Confusion often arises from the fact that non-Catholics are wont to consider the remission of sin and the justification of the sinner as two separate acts, whereas Catholic faith teaches that the infusion of grace and the remission of sin, like the illumination of space and the dispersion of darkness, is but one and the same simultaneous act. Sin and sanctifying grace cannot coexist in the soul; for mutually destructive, the one banishes the other. Sanctifying grace is a supernatural gift which, by infusing through the merits of Christ a new spiritual life and image of God into the soul, ennobles man, and makes him just and an adopted son of heaven, capable of doing works meritorious for eternal life. These supernatural gifts can be forfeited only by sin which is called mortal, because it kills the supernatural life of the soul. When man, therefore, by grievous offense against God, forfeits these supernal gifts, he deforms and befouls his soul by the leprosy of sin, which renders him hideous in the eyes of God. This sin with its guilt and contamination is eradicated only when God deigns through the merits of Christ to infuse anew into the soul the grace of justification; and this grace, by restoring again the supernatural life lost by the sinner, necessarily banishes sin and its deformities from the soul, and regains for him the friendship of God.

Hence, forgiveness of sin and justification of the sinner, are one and the same act of grace in the soul; for the one involves the other. Justification, in a negative sense, is the remission of sin, but in a positive sense, it is the actual cleansing or justifying of the soul by the infusion of sanctifying grace When God, therefore, declares a sinner to be just and pleasing to Him, it is not, because He ignores the hideous leprosy of sin in the soul, or covers it from view by a mantle, but because He really and truly makes the sinner just by the infusion of sanctifying grace which by its nature necessarily destroying the guilt of sin and its direful effects, restores to man his supernatural gifts, and makes him truly holy and pleasing in the sight of God. When Christ said to the leper,

"be thou made clean," the unfortunate man was at once cleansed from his leprosy; so when God justifies a sinner, he of course makes him just by cleansing his soul from every taint of injustice whe was induced by the leprosy of sin.

In the work of justification, according to Catholic principles concur two operations, the one divine and the other human; and these naturally pervade each other so that there results but one act. By preceding grace God awakens and excites the sinner. and offers His aid to uplift him after his fall; if the sinner accepts the divine assistance, he is in turn accepted by the Holy Spirit.

This interworking of the Holy Spirit and of man freely cooperating in the process of justification may be briefly noted. It is the mercy of God alone that offers to man supernatural happiness. He makes this offer known through the preaching of His Church, and accompanies it with an interior stirring grace. If man cooperates with this grace, he believes the truths of divine revelation with a certainty that nothing can shake. He sees reasons to fear God's justice, and throws himself on God's mercy, detesting his sin and trusting in the merits of Christ. Thus by the co-operation of grace and man's free will, the way is prepared for justification; and provided that man puts no obstacle in the way, the Holy Spirit works his justification by pouring His grace and charity into his soul.

Though justification be complete and the same in all the just, nevertheless, the sanctification of each man progresses in proportion to his own supernaturally aided efforts; for the new spirtual life implanted in the soul, enables man to exercise himself in truly good works which through Christ merit an increase of sanctifying grace, and this increase, measured by man's individual spiritual efforts, is more replete in some than in others.

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3 6105 004 722 968

DATE DUE

71002

822.33 5736L

STANFORD UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES CECIL H. GREEN LIBRARY STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305-6004 (415) 723-1493

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