Created and Uncreated Grace questions

[Monica4316]

Hi,

I’m just trying to figure out if I have this right…

Is it like this:

There’s uncreated Grace which is the divine indwelling itself. However, we need to somehow participate in His life without becoming divine… so there’s Sanctifying Grace which is a created accidental “quality” in the soul.

My source that explains it way better: catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=36982

However, and this is the part I don’t understand - does God Himself dwell in the soul in His substance? I mean I know for us the grace is present accidentally. But created grace is not identical to God, according to Catholic Encyclopedia if I remember, - rather it’s a quality. Is the divine indwelling itself (the “uncreated” grace) also an accidental participation or a substantial one, without the Hypostatic Union? In other words: is God present in His substance EVEN IF we participate only in an accidental way?

I think I’m getting really technical but just trying to figure this out without being some sort of heretic I’m open to whatever the answer is I’d just like to know. maybe something from Ludwig Ott or Fr Garrigou Lagrange?

 

[DavidFilmer]

does God Himself dwell in the soul in His substance?

God has no accidents, so the only way he can dwell (if he dwells at all) is substantially.

We have accidents, and saving Grace is (for us) an accident (it’s possible to not have it, and we are not created with it), but prevenient grace appears to be part of our human nature, since we all have it (and we can’t loose it). Prevenient grace would thus be substantial for humans.