"Doing" Things Properly

[obvious_ron]

As I study more about my Catholic faith, I am beginning to struggle with it. Do we as Catholics believe that salvation must be earned through works? I want to say no, but part of me wonders. Maybe I’m not understanding things properly. This may be especially true of the sacraments. Like recipes, it seems like the Church teaches they you must follow the instructions or recipes to the letter.

 

[Obl_OSB]

No, as scripture tells us we are saved by grace through faith and also that faith without works is dead. This is not a difficult set of teachings when you think of it as simple cause an effect. Holy works are the result of the gift of faith that God gives us out of his love for us. Works of the law, as in the Mosaic Law, are not salvific in themselves since they predated the fulfillment of the law, which is Christ.

Concerning the sacraments, which are instituted by God to impart grace, they are not just boxes we check in order to go to heaven. By their nature they are ways instituted by God to draw us closer to him and heal our souls. We are dedicated to participate in the sacraments as often as possible so as to offer God satisfaction which is part of divine justice.

Hope this helps; Pax Christi!

 

[TK421]

The purpose of the sacraments is to strengthen our assurance of salvation, not decrease it.

Suppose there were no “visible channels” to convey an inward grace. We just lived as Christians the best we know how. Would we know if we were being “good enough” or if our faith was truly authentic? Some people - spiritually “high” people - might feel subjectively convinced they were in God’s grace, but feelings betray us all the time. You don’t have to be a Christian to know that. You just need to be a human being.

So rather than having scrupulosity, or presumption, the Lord has given us tangible ways of receiving grace. He also makes the sacraments social. Meaning: it’s not “Jesus and me”. The work of sanctifying the world is a mutual effort of the entire family of God. Even in Reconciliation, the most private of the sacraments, there is still always three people present: the penitent, the priest, and Christ.