grace and merit

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i was reading a catholic book (written by a priest)
and i got to a section about indulgences…and the priest was explaining it…then he said that the prayer or good work (that you do to receive the indulgence)…is more important than the actual indulgence itself
he said that an indulgence is remission of temporal punishment for our sins…but that a pray or good work performed devoutly gives us an increase in grace and merit for heaven (it raises our place in heaven with each increase and brings us even closer to god)
i also read that the more that you pray…and the more grace and merit that you gain…it increases your intercession, and if your intercession is increased then you are able to help more people…

anyone else hear about this…love to hear your thoughts on this

ANGELIC PEACE
 
ANGELIC_PEACE said:
i was reading a catholic book (written by a priest)
and i got to a section about indulgences…and the priest was explaining it…then he said that the prayer or good work (that you do to receive the indulgence)…is more important than the actual indulgence itself
he said that an indulgence is remission of temporal punishment for our sins…but that a pray or good work performed devoutly gives us an increase in grace and merit for heaven (it raises our place in heaven with each increase and brings us even closer to god)
i also read that the more that you pray…and the more grace and merit that you gain…it increases your intercession, and if your intercession is increased then you are able to help more people…

anyone else hear about this…love to hear your thoughts on this

ANGELIC PEACE
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The priest is right on.

Jim
 
I concur.

Angelic, could you share the title and author of that book with us? It sounds interesting.👍

Thanks,
VC
 
That sounds right… what part of it were you questioning?
 
I would also love to know the name of this book. 🙂

Scout :tiphat:
 
the book is called

purgatory explained

by fr. f. x schouppe s.j

i got it from the following website

tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/694/keywords/purgatory/

it is also available from

cenacle.co.uk/products.asp?partno=B1142

if you are interested in getting the book…both websites allow you to order and pay through the post as well as ordering and paying online…

there is a section in the middle about indulgences (listing indulgenced prayers…another section towards the end with more indulgenced prayers…the section what i mentioned is towards the end of the book…

ANGELIC PEACE
 
BlestOne said:
That sounds right… what part of it were you questioning?
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until i read that book i didn’t know that every prayer, suffering, good work etc offered to god increases grace and merit in our soul…

the priest who is the author of the book mentioned saying lots of short prayers that are a few words long through out the day…for the holy souls in purgatory…he said not only will we gain lots of indulgences that we could apply to our own souls…but out of charity we could give them to the holy souls in purgatory would see that we would not be outdone in charity … we will obtain from god a copious amount of grace and merit for saying these prayers…

i didn’t know this until i read it in the book…isn’t it amazing to think that every prayer you say no matter how big or small it raises your place in heaven, you get an increase of grace and merit and you are stocking up treasure in heaven…

i also didn’t know that the more we pray, the more grace and merit you gain which in turn increases your intercession…that is amazing too…i so didn’t know that…

ANGELIC PEACE
 
Hello. Sorry to interupt. I just wanted to comment. I don’t really hear a lot about Grace. Really the only time I hear about it is when talking to Protestants, especially Lutherans. I think as Catholic the only time I heard about it was at Catholic HighSchool in Literature studying Flannery O’Conner. I am so deficient in the understanding of Grace, I feel seriously uninformed. I have mentioned to others (catholics) and they literally think I am talking about the dinner blessing. In CCD we learned about Sanctifying grace and Actual (?) grace. but as a kid that was a little to theological. It was the only time it was ever spoken of. SO in simple terms what is it? I asked that on EWTN Q&A once and got a big WOW. There’s no way to answer that. Isn’t it God’s blessing on us? Why don’t they have homilies on this?
 
Grace is totally from God. We cannot earn it; we only accept it and respond to it.
By God’s grace we can live, move, and have our being.
By God’s grace we can love God and love our neighbors.

Merit is the positive reward results from one’s effort.
Merit is under grace. Any merit gained is gained by God’s grace.
Without grace, no effort can be successfully made.
The more we pray, the more we work on holiness, the closer we get to God.
The closer we get to God, the more sensitive we are to God’s grace.
The more sensitive we are to God’s grace, the better we are able to respond to it.
The better we respond to it, the more grace will be bestowed on us.
Grace reinforces merit, merit brings more grace. It is a good circle.

Let’s receive and respond to God’s grace, with you, my friend!
 
Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you (Diary, 1541). Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy i desire to grant uat the hour of death (Diary, 687). When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful Savior (Diary, 1541). Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy (Diary, 687). I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy (Diary, 687). Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will (Diary, 1731).

in the promises of the divine mercy chaplet above…when it says
i desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy …does it mean like favours etc…

and when it says Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy …does it mean the grace that we are talking about in this thread…grace that you recieve each time you pray

ANGELIC PEACE
 
Beautiful thread Angelic Peace.🙂

This is why I say make your life a Prayer, a Living Prayer. Sometimes I wonder if people are sick of me mentioning Living Prayer, I hope I don’t drive anyone over the edge with my incessant ramblings about Living Prayer or bore anyone to the point of deep sleep:) . Perhaps though I have helped someone suffering a sleepless night with my droning on and on about it.😃

Living Prayer is a constant prayer and unceasing prayer of living the Gospel and this prayer contains all of life, whether it be vocal prayer, mental prayer etc or actions, words and thoughts, it is a prayer of the entire life offered to God and lived constantly in His Presence and God does increase grace in the soul and draw the soul to Himself in this unceasing prayer to, God willing, union with Himself.

In the Living Prayer of my life
 
blessedstar said:
Beautiful thread Angelic Peace.🙂

This is why I say make your life a Prayer, a Living Prayer. Sometimes I wonder if people are sick of me mentioning Living Prayer, I hope I don’t drive anyone over the edge with my incessant ramblings about Living Prayer or bore anyone to the point of deep sleep:) . Perhaps though I have helped someone suffering a sleepless night with my droning on and on about it.😃

Living Prayer is a constant prayer and unceasing prayer of living the Gospel and this prayer contains all of life, whether it be vocal prayer, mental prayer etc or actions, words and thoughts, it is a prayer of the entire life offered to God and lived constantly in His Presence and God does increase grace in the soul and draw the soul to Himself in this unceasing prayer to, God willing, union with Himself.

In the Living Prayer of my life
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hi blessedstar,

i found this link for a book

knock-shrine.ie/bookshop/detail.asp?Product=21

is this bookthe same as what you mean when you mention living prayer?

ANGELIC PEACE
 
ANGELIC_PEACE said:
hi blessedstar,

i found this link for a book

knock-shrine.ie/bookshop/detail.asp?Product=21

is this bookthe same as what you mean when you mention living prayer?

ANGELIC PEACE
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I don’t know. Perhaps it is. If you read it let me know what it says about Living Prayer.

What I mean by Living Prayer is not simply verbal dialogue with God in words ‘I can tell God anything’ though this is part of it. Living Prayer the way I try to live it is a total prayer with ones life and the Gospel made manifest in one’s life by the Living of this Prayer. Living Prayer as I live it is a call to the Gospel; it is deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture and the reading of and living of Sacred Scripture is central to this way of Prayer. The pivotal source and summit of the Living Prayer is the Eucharist where the soul is transformed, nourished and offers all back to God at the Holy Mass. Living Prayer is deeper than the Morning Offering which is a good practise. Living Prayer is a little daily martyrdom and is an act of living ones life recollected to God offering unceasing prayer with one’s life, it is an offerig of one’s life to God for others and God’s will. One may offer ones life for specific intentions as well. Living Prayer leads, God willing, to transforming union with God. Living Prayer is deeply rooted in the Passion and offering of Christ Jesus upon the Cross. Living Prayer is deeply connected to the offering of one’s cross united to Jesus’ and a deep love of the Cross. Living Prayer is one of gratitude, praise and thanksgiving to God where the very depths of life are a prayer and a living manifestation of the Scriptures, yes even to Calvary and the Cross.

I havent’ described all that Living Prayer is here, but this is some of the basic elements of it as I see, understand and live it. Living Prayer is how I have been led in prayer by the Holy Spirit and no man has taught me this prayer. It is a simply prayer and I am still in the process of writing the book.

I’m sorry to be of no help to you about the book in the link:o

In the Living Prayer of my life
 
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