Sorry for the length of the response - I’ll try to keep it short:
Quote from “New Advent” an online Catholic encylodedia under “Catholic Doctrine of Justification”:
“Since justification as an application of the Redemption to the individual presupposes the fall of the entire human race, the Council of Trent quite logically begins with the fundamental statement that original sin has weakened and deflected, but not entirely destroyed or extinguished the freedom of the human will”
"While in Baptism infants are forthwith cleansed of the stain of original sin without any preparation on their part, the adult must pass through a moral preparation, which consists essentially in turning from sin and towards God. This entire process receives its first impulse from the supernatural grace of vocation (absolutely independent of man’s merits), and requires an intrinsic union of the Divine and human action, of grace and moral freedom of election, in such a manner, however, that the will can resist, and with full liberty reject the influence of grace.
Two things I’d like to point out here: The fall of man has not completely destroyed the freedom of human will and that moral freedon encompasses the ability to reject the influence of grace.
“Considering merely the psychological analysis of the conversion of sinners, as given by the council, it is at once evident that faith alone, whether fiduciary or dogmatic, cannot justify man”
Faith alone cannot justify a person.
So you see the Catholic biew of justification seems to be that the fall of man tainted, but did not destroy free will, that free will plays a role in the salvation process and that faith alone cannot justify a person, but that works are necessary to contribute to a persons actual attainment of salvation.
This is semi palagianism. The hard core palagiamism that a person is not really tainted by the fall of Adam and is free to more obey God has been replaced with a modified version that man if free to choose to serve God and faith plus works are something a person actively does to attain salvation.
So what you have said is that Catholic theology is not Pelagianism. Thats your answer.
From the time of the Apostles Catholicism teaches that the person must respond to the initial Gift of grace received from God if the person wants Life.
The parable of the seed sower, told by Christ Himself, illustrates this reality. God casts His Grace on all types of people, the fertile soil, the rocky ground, the thorny ground. He said that the person must respond to His gift of Grace in order to continue to possess it. The man who was given initial Grace but who allowed the cares and worries of the world to overcome him lost His gift of Grace when he *himself *allowed the thorns and briars to smother the seedling which had sprouted and begun to grown.
Our *response *to that initial grace, called work by you, is essential, the man who tills the soil and keeps it free and fertile allows Grace to grow and remain within him. These works which give life to grace were ‘work’ given to us to do by Christ when He institued the Sacraments for our sake and commanded the Apostles to ‘do them’, - to continue them. Other ‘works’ commanded are the corporal works of mercy;
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
Those who lived their Faith, (works, to you), did all those things and were called His sheep and were invited to share eternal life with Him; those who did not live their Faith and ‘do’ those things, (works, to you), were called goats by Him and were given their place in hell with the devil and his angels.
Salvation is a Gift, but it is also a process we are obliged to co-operate with if we want Eternal Life.
Pelagius on the other hand thought he could do it all himself without help, and that is not a Catholic theology.
