Created grace and union with God?

[MarysLittleFlower]

I found out the Church teaches that there’s such a thing as uncreated grace (the substance of grace is uncreated), and created grace (that’s the instance of grace, in us because we are creatures and need to receive it somehow). Here’s a quote from Catholic Encyclopedia on Sanctifying Grace explaining this:

“The crowning point of justification is found in the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is the perfection and the supreme adornment of the justified soul. Adequately considered, the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit consists of a twofold grace, the created accidental grace (gratia creata accidentalis) and the uncreated substantial grace (gratia increata substantialis). The former is the basis and the indispensable assumption for the latter; for where God Himself erects His throne, there must be found a fitting and becoming adornment.”

Catholic Dictionary on “Uncreated Grace” says this:

"In the second and third communications, the souls of the justified on earth and of the glorified in heaven are elevated to a share in God’s own life. all three are created graces, considered as acts, since they all had a beginning in time. But the gift that is conferred on a creature in these acts is uncreated. "

It seems like Uncreated Grace is not formally distinct from God’s Essence. Since we are creatures, grace is in us as an accident, hence created grace.

My question is… given the reality of created grace in us, how do we connect that to the idea that we share in God’s own life, which is uncreated? It can’t be that we don’t truly share in His life, since the Church teaches that too. But since we receive created grace, (like a created instance of grace, the substance of which is uncreated) - how does that make it possible? Some people would say that our idea of “created grace” would mean that we can’t ever truly know God Himself. I’m trying to find an explanation.

My question is kind of technical perhaps and from a Thomistic perspective but if anyone understands this well and would like to answer, that would help a lot thank you!

 

[Richca]

Good topic which involves pretty deep theology. I think uncreated grace can be simply thought of as God himself such as the indwelling of the Trinity in souls with sanctifying grace. For the only being that is uncreated is God and whatever has being and is not God is something created by God. Created grace is our participation in the divine nature through sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace which is created grace makes us partakers of the divine nature. It is a supernatural gift from God. Since we are not God or ever will be God, we participate in his own divine life through a created gift he bestows upon us. The source of our sharing in the divine nature is God himself but we do not lose our status of being creatures through sanctfiying grace. God communicates to us his divine life and beatitude according to our capacity as a creature to receive it and the gifts he has bestowed upon us such as our intellect and will.

One way of looking at the relationship between uncreated grace which is essentially God himself and created grace which is a participation in God’s divine life through sanctifying grace which may be helpful here is what St Thomas Aqunas says about happiness which is man’s last end and which consists in the beatific vision. The question St Thomas proposes in the Summa Theologica is whether happiness is something created. He says that the cause of the happiness in us resulting from the beatific vision is something uncreated, namely, God himself of course; but the happiness we experience in us resulting from the beatific vision is something created in us as we ourselves are created which includes all our powers and faculties of soul which will be engaged in the beatific vision.

In describing a soul’s union with God, St John of the Cross used the analogy of sunlight that passes through a clear glass window. The sunlight is as the divine nature and the glass window participates in the sunlight and becomes all lightsome but the glass window still retains the nature of a glass window.

 

[MarysLittleFlower]

Thank you for the reply!
so maybe we can say that even though the grace is created, the gift itself is uncreated, so we truly do participate in uncreated divine nature, but in a created way? and of course we stay creatures.

The analogy from St John is great… I guess my question was whether the sunlight is the divine nature or created grace. But maybe we can say that sunlight is God, window is ourselves, and whatever allows the light to pass through the window is created grace? does that sound correct theologically would you say?

thanks again!

 

[Richca]

Thank you for the reply!
so maybe we can say that even though the grace is created, the gift itself is uncreated,

Depends on what you mean by gift here. The gift of sanctifying grace is a created gift which God infuses into our souls and which elevates our nature to a supernatural order, a participation in the divine nature. The Holy Spirit who is also called Gift is also given to us with sanctifying grace and dwells in us and He of course is uncreated.

so we truly do participate in uncreated divine nature, but in a created way? and of course we stay creatures.

I think this is true but I’m not exactly sure what you may mean by it or trying to get at. The keyword here may be participation. Sanctifying grace which makes up partakers of the divine nature is a created supernatural gift which God infuses into our souls. It becomes a part of our being and theologically it is called a habit and accident. The divine nature is uncreated. There is an infinite difference between the created and uncreated, the infinite and the finite. So sanctifying grace is called a participation in the divine nature. Similarly, our being and existence is called a participation in God’s being and existence. God is being and existence itself and his being and existence is infinite. Creatures have a finite participation in being and existence. Creatures are not being or existence itself. St Thomas Aquinas taught what is called the analogy of being. I think this idea also applies to our created participation through grace in the divine nature. St Thomas taught that when we speak of the being of God and the being of creatures, the concept being applied to God and creatures is not univocal or equivocal, but anagogical.

I’d like to address something of what you said in your opening post. You said “Some people would say that our idea of “created grace” would mean that we can’t ever truly know God Himself. I’m trying to find an explanation.” Firstly, we will never know God as he knows himself. We would have to be God himself, infinite and eternal, to know him as he knows himself. In fact, St Thomas Aquinas says that the beatific vision of God in heaven will eternally keep us in a state of wonder because since God is infinite our finite intellects will never comprehend Him. We will never grow tired of looking at God. Only the infinite can comprehend the infinite. Secondly, the beatific vision involves seeing God face to face, seeing his essence. We will not just see or know some created similitude or likeness of God. We will actually see his essence and see and know Him as he sees and knows himself although without fully comprehending Him as he comprehends himself. God has called us to a very personal relationship with himself. Don’t worry that he will disappoint you or that God is not the fulfillment of your heart’s deepest desires.

 

[Richca]

The analogy from St John is great… I guess my question was whether the sunlight is the divine nature or created grace. But maybe we can say that sunlight is God, window is ourselves, and whatever allows the light to pass through the window is created grace? does that sound correct theologically would you say?

thanks again!

St John has some very interesting things to say that touch on your topic here throughout his writings. I’m going to have to reread what he said about the analogy I gave you earlier to try more fully grasp what he means or trying to say. St John received some great mystical experiences from God and he writes about the nature of the soul’s union with God in the unitive or third age of the spiritual life and amidst some of the wonderful mystical experiences he received in this state (cf. The Living Flame of Love). The soul becomes Godlike, the participation in the divine nature, in an indescribable way.

Peace and blessings, Rich

I’ll try my best to answer any questions you may have.

 

[De_Maria]

I found out the Church teaches that there’s such a thing as uncreated grace (the substance of grace is uncreated), and created grace (that’s the instance of grace, in us because we are creatures and need to receive it somehow). Here’s a quote from Catholic Encyclopedia on Sanctifying Grace explaining this:

"The crowning point of justification is found in the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of the Holy Spirit. Grace is a gift. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling, is the uncreated grace.

It is the perfection and the supreme adornment of the justified soul. Adequately considered, the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit consists of a twofold grace, the created accidental grace (gratia creata accidentalis) and the uncreated substantial grace (gratia increata substantialis).

There is only one uncreated “thing”. God. If anything else is uncreated, then that “thing” is god.
Therefore, uncreated grace is God.

Term

UNCREATED GRACE

Definition

God himself, insofar as in his love has predetermined gifts of grace. there are three forms of uncreated grace: the hypostatic union, the divine indwelling, and the beatific vision. In the first of these, God has communicated himself in the Incarnation of Christ’s humanity (the grace of union) so intimately that Jesus of Nazareth is a divine person. In the second and third communications, the souls of the justified on earth and of the glorified in heaven are elevated to a share in God’s own life. all three are created graces, considered as acts, since they all had a beginning in time. But the gift that is conferred on a creature in these acts is uncreated.
Dictionary : UNCREATED GRACE | Catholic Culture

The former is the basis and the indispensable assumption for the latter; for where God Himself erects His throne, there must be found a fitting and becoming adornment."

Therefore, God erects His throne. This throne is the created grace.

Catholic Dictionary on “Uncreated Grace” says this:

cont’d

 

[De_Maria]

cont’d

"In the second and third communications, the souls of the justified on earth and of the glorified in heaven are elevated to a share in God’s own life. all three are created graces, considered as acts, since they all had a beginning in time. But the gift that is conferred on a creature in these acts is uncreated. "

I’m not following the math. The “2nd and 3rd communications” amount to two instances. But they say, “all three are created graces”. Therefore, I assume they mean that the three communications of grace, one instance Uncreated and 2 instances created, are all three created graces.

So, the fact that God “indwells” the justified, is one created grace.
The elevation of the soul of the justified and the soul of the saved, are two created graces.

It seems like Uncreated Grace is not formally distinct from God’s Essence. Since we are creatures, grace is in us as an accident, hence created grace.

Correct.

My question is… given the reality of created grace in us, how do we connect that to the idea that we share in God’s own life, which is uncreated?

The created grace serves the uncreated Grace.

It can’t be that we don’t truly share in His life, since the Church teaches that too. But since we receive created grace, (like a created instance of grace, the substance of which is uncreated) - how does that make it possible? Some people would say that our idea of “created grace” would mean that we can’t ever truly know God Himself. I’m trying to find an explanation.

Think of it this way. God is in heaven. People pray and God answers their prayers from heaven.

Now, your body is the Temple of God. God in His Temple. You pray and God answers your prayers from His Temple.

My question is kind of technical perhaps and from a Thomistic perspective but if anyone understands this well and would like to answer, that would help a lot thank you!

I’m no expert. But that’s the way I understand it. I hope that helps.

 

[MarysLittleFlower]

Thank you for the replies! that helps to clarify some things… ok so can we say that through a created grace, we participate in divine nature, but the Holy Spirit truly does live in us too?? I’m trying to clarify that because some Orthodox people might say that we only ever communicate with a creature in this way! But we still do have the presence of God in us, God Himself, even though we reach Him through a created grace? I am just clarifying something I always thought I knew but got a bit lost in theology thank you!

 

[Richca]

Thank you for the replies! that helps to clarify some things… ok so can we say that through a created grace, we participate in divine nature, but the Holy Spirit truly does live in us too??

Yes, the Holy Spirit, indeed, the whole Trinity dwells and lives in a special manner in the person who has sanctifying grace. Recall that in the gospel Jesus said that he and the Father would come and make their home in the believer and Jesus also said of the Holy Spirit “you know him for he dwells with you, and will be in you” (John 14:17). St Paul also said that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. At Pentecost, Jesus bestowed the promised Holy Spirit on the apostles and the Church. In the sacrament of confirmation, we receive a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like what the apostles received on the day of Pentecost.

The Trinity or God and union with Him is our end and goal. God has called us to a supernatural union with him. The supernatural gifts God bestows upon us such as sanctifying grace, the theological virtues, infused moral virtues, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to reach this goal and know and love God in a supernatural way. God elevates our nature to a supernatural order with supernatural gifts he bestows upon us in order for us to have a supernatural union and relationship with him. The gifts themselves are not the end, I think we can call them means to the end. God himself is the end. Nothing created is our end.

I’m trying to clarify that because some Orthodox people might say that we only ever communicate with a creature in this way!

The created supernatural gifts God bestows upon us which elevates our nature to a supernatural order are means as it were through which we can have a supernatural relationship with God. These gifts themselves are not personal substances to communicate to. They are added gifts God bestows upon our nature in order for us to have a supernatural communication with God. The end of the gifts is communication with God, not the gifts themselves. For example, the powers of our natural being that God created us with do not suffice for the end God calls us too which is the beatific vision. We need some added supernatural powers, gifts, virtues, to attain this goal.

But we still do have the presence of God in us, God Himself, even though we reach Him through a created grace?

I think this is correct. Definitely God dwells in us. We are created creatures and union with God involves the uncreated God and the created creature. So, a created creature’s union with God is going to definitely involve something created, namely, the created creature itself. Christian perfection in this life consists in charity or as the saints say our will being one with God’s will. Charity is one of the theological virtues which God bestows upon us with sanctifying grace and it is subjected in the will. It is a created supernatural virtue God infuses into the soul. The object of charity is not the virtue of charity itself but God. Again, I would say charity is a means by which we are able to love God, the object of charity, in a supernatural way.

 

[Richca]

I am just clarifying something I always thought I knew but got a bit lost in theology thank you!

I understand. I myself have meditated and studied and wondered on exactly what does it mean to participate in the divine nature. I think it involves some pretty deep theology and theological truths and I think it involves a number of theological truths. I think it needs to be looked at from the side of God and from the side of the creature without confusing God and the creature all together. Union with God is not union with something created by God but with the uncreated God. Created grace, the theological virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit enable and empower us to have a supernatural union and relationship with God. These supernatural gifts perfect our nature. God calls us not to some union with some creature or something created by Him but to a union directly with himself. But it is obvious we are going to need some powers and gifts, natural and supernatural to accomplish this and for starters to first just exist.

 

[Ghosty1981]

This is actually relatively simple. The “thing” that is Grace, namely the Divine Life, is uncreated, the manner in which we receive it, and our possession of it, is created. We do not possess Grace from all time, so our possession of Grace has a beginning; this is what is meant by “created”. Another way to put it is that the “state” of Grace is created because we did not have it before.

If I hand you a rock that a million years old this does not mean that you’ve been holding it for a million years. The state of you holding the rock begins when you pick it up, regardless of the age of the rock. The substance of the rock does not change, at it remains old even though its relation to you is new. There is no “created substance” called Grace, merely a state of relation and indwelling that is made in time.

Peace and God bless!

 

[Richca]

Some more thoughts on sanctifying grace which makes us partakers of the divine nature. The Church teaches that sanctifying grace is a supernatural habitual disposition that God infuses into the soul which makes us partakers of the divine nature and adopted or reborn sons and daughters of God. Yesterday morning I was reading St Thomas Aquinas’ treatise on grace in his Summa Theologica. Philosophically, a disposition is an accident in the category of quality in Aristotle’s ten categories of being. So, in St Thomas’ theology, the gift of sanctifying grace is a created accident God infuses into our souls and this gift modifies our substance, being, or nature as all accidents do in one way or another and it raises us to a supernatural order and a participation in the divine nature. Sanctifying grace is a certain created likeness of the divine nature. Just as children share in the nature of their parents, so in our regeneration in baptism as reborn sons and daughters of God, the gift of sanctifying grace makes us partakers of the divine nature. There is a difference here though. Children possess an identical though numerically different human nature with their parents. The gift of sanctifying grace is a created likeness to the divine nature, not identical with it or we would be God himself. Jesus is the only natural born Son of the Father and he possesses an identical divine nature with the Father, that is, one and the same divine nature with the Father.

Commenting on Psalm 103: 15 “That he may make the face cheerful with oil” St Thomas says “the gloss says: Grace is a certain beauty of soul, which wins the divine love.” So, the gift of sanctifying grace makes the soul beautiful and good in the fashion of a likeness to the divine nature itself which is infinitely beautiful and infinitely good or rather beauty and goodness itself. Sanctifying grace is a great gift as it makes us partakers of the divine nature as reborn sons and daughters of God. In fact, St Thomas says that the good of grace in one is greater than the natural good of the whole universe. In this life short of a revelation, we do not have direct knowledge of this gift of sanctifying grace. God certainly knows and sees the beauty grace bestows on the soul and the souls and angels in heaven I’m quite sure have direct knowledge of this supernatural and spiritual gift.

St Teresa of Avila writes about souls with or without sanctifying grace in one of her works. I’m not sure off hand if she had mystical experiences of what she says about this. I do recall from memory that she says that a soul in mortal sin is all black and ugly. Sanctifying grace bestows a beauty and brightness to the soul.