Can someone explain how this works?

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ineedofmercy

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Sorry for me posting a lot recently but i want an answer to this question
I’ve only had partial understandings of this

Do good deeds matter when not in a state of grace? And if they do then do all the merits Gained by those actions get restored after confession? Or are those merits lost but we are now able to gain merits?

I know praying in mortal sin still works but is it weaker? I like to think that it’s more urgent of time for prayer

Thanks for any answers
 
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To my understanding, we can merit nothing while in a state of mortal sin. So, those merits would be lost.

I’m not sure about prayer “strength.” My instinct is to say that it is neither weaker nor stronger, since God hears it no matter what.
 
I hope that isn’t so
Because doesn’t that discourage good deeds in between confession?

But it would make sense I guess
 
Not really.

A person following Christ isn’t doing good because of the potential eternal benefit, they do it because it is what Christ would do. I think a solid example of inner character is when a person does good even when they recognize that they are in a state of mortal sin.
 
That is true but something feels off about it being entirely lost

I’ve heard some say confession brings back those merits that were lost

I know it shouldn’t be the motive but your father who sees in secret will reward you in heaven
But if you do it in mortal sin
There is no reward in heaven or earth?
 
I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never heard of that, but that doesn’t make it untrue.

God may rewards us for those acts, but we know we are cut off from God while in mortal sin, and that we cannot merit anything apart from God.
 
James 2:17 faith and works go hand in hand. Mortal sin is consciously and totally rejecting God. which you are not doing.
 
There is a Sensus Fidelium video where Fr Ripperger deals with this. If memory serves (which it may not!), he states that merits are restored following confession.
 
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I agree
We walk alway
God doesn’t
He follows the lost sheep to bring them back
So if someone does something God after falling back into a mortal sin
I feel that God won’t completely ignore it.
Maybe he offers it for someone else like suffering
I don’t know why I’m explaining a question I asked 😂😂😂
 
I remember reading that before
Yeah I think it returns the value they would’ve had in grace
 
There are sanctifying graces but also actual graces. Its the difference between having a job and begging successfully now and then. Sometimes a handout, if we cooperate, turns into a handup and a job. So too actual grace and repentance and confession restoring S. Grace.

Also, its also about habits of goodness. Good habits are fully restored after confession if we dont fall for too long. These good habits make it harder to fall.
 
Regarding being in a state of mortal sin, Father Schmitz suggests that we pray or do good works because God is calling us to do so.

 
I have a hard time wrapping my mind around this question, so this is a completely uninformed answer. I may not even understand the question.
ineedofmercy said:
Do good deeds matter when not in a state of grace? And if they do then do all the merits Gained by those actions get restored after confession? Or are those merits lost but we are now able to gain merits?
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Of course good deeds matter. They help repair your life, other people’s lives, the universe. They may not heal the rupture between you and God, but they will still do good. You may not recognize the good that you do, but God does. But then, we often do not recognize the good we have done.
ineedofmercy said:
I know praying in mortal sin still works but is it weaker? I like to think that it’s more urgent of time for prayer
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I would think the prayer of the needy is strongest. If one is in mortal sin, one is in need, and God would want to help you more. Look at the prodigal son! He was dead and came back to life and the father gave him a feast, a robe, and a ring.

I suppose people who are close to God will more likely ask for what God wants to give, so God answers their prayers more often. But if those in sin ask for what they need, God wants to give.
 
Confession wipes the sin away as if it never existed. Not in terms of possible consequences but in terms of it’s effect on the soul.

I’m pretty sure confession restores any merit from good deeds done while in a state of mortal sin.

I don’t think we can think of it like a “merit system” though. God knows our hearts and takes into account when we do something good.
 
The truth is that there is no answer because Christ will never tell us Himself. It’s best to just live your life and not worry about it.

God Bless !
 
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