T
twb1621
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It seems best (for me anyway) to describe this way; Grace is not created but more so a state of existence or being offered to us by God, not permanent but conditioned upon our acceptance and depth of devotion to God. It is the life source of our soul that strengthens us in those gifts God gives us in His love and the deeper we are in our relationship and devotion to Him the more grace we are predisposed or capable to receive.Do you know much about grace. I’ve heard grace is somehow a created thing and yet it is part of God so it cannot be created. I’m not an expert on the theology of grace bu the older priest who told me is a very knowledgeable, orthodox and hoy priest. There could be a clue to the answer here. I don’t think this is beyond God to do by any means. I accept it’s hard to understand though. Many theologians support my final conclusion from my research and the church permits me to believe this for now. So I still choose to at this stage.
According to the Modern Catholic Dictionary
In biblical language the condescension or benevolence (Greek charis) shown by God toward the human race; it is also the unmerited gift proceeding from this benevolent disposition. Grace, therefore, is a totally gratuitous gift on which man has absolutely no claim. Where on occasion the Scriptures speak of grace as pleasing charm or thanks for favors received, this is a derived and not primary use of the term.
As the Church has come to explain the meaning of grace, it refers to something more than the gifts of nature, such as creation or the blessings of bodily health. Grace is the supernatural gift that God, of his free benevolence, bestows on rational creatures for their eternal salvation. The gifts of grace are essentially supernatural. They surpass the being, powers, and claims of created nature, namely sanctifying grace, the infused virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and actual grace. They are the indispensable means necessary to reach the beatific vision. In a secondary sense, grace also includes such blessings as the miraculous gifts of prophecy or healing, or the preternatural gifts of freedom from concupiscence.
The essence of grace, properly so called, is its gratuity, since no creature has a right to the beatific vision, and its finality or purpose is to lead one to eternal life. (Etym. Latin gratia, favor; a gift freely given.) See also ACTUAL GRACE, EFFICACIOUS GRACE, HABITUAL GRACE, JUSTIFYING GRACE, SACRAMENTAL GRACE, SANCTIFYING GRACE, SUFFICIENT GRACE.
New Advent Definition;
The definition of actual grace is based on the idea of grace in general, which, in Biblical, classical, and modern language, admits of a fourfold meaning. In the first place, subjectively, grace signifies good will, benevolence; then, objectively, it designates every favour which proceeds from this benevolence and, consequently, every gratuitous gift (donum gratuitum, beneficium). In the former (subjective) sense, the king’s grace grants life to the criminal condemned to death; in the latter (objective) sense the king distributes graces to his lieges. In this connection grace also stands for charm, attractiveness; as when we speak of the three Graces in mythology, or of the grace poured forth on the lips of the bridegroom (Psalm 44:3), because charm calls forth benevolent love in the giver and prompts him to the bestowal of benefactions. As the recipient of graces experiences, on his part, sentiments of gratefulness, and expresses these sentiments in thanks, the word gratiae (plural of gratia) also stands for thanksgiving in the expressions gratias agere and Deo gratias, which have their counterpart in the English, to say grace after meals.
A comparison of these four senses of the word grace reveals a clear relationship of analogy among them, since grace, in its objective signification of “gratuitous gift” or “favour”, occupies a central position around which the other meanings may be logically grouped. For the attractiveness of the recipient as well as the benevolence of the giver is the cause, whereas the expression of thanks which proceeds from the grateful disposition is the effect, of the gratuitous gift of grace. This last-mentioned meaning is, consequently the fundamental one in grace. The characteristic idea of a free gift must be taken in the strict sense and exclude merit in every form, be it in the range of commutative justice as, e.g., in sale and purchase, or in that of distributive justice, as is the case in the so-called remunerations and gratuities. Hence St. Paul says: “If by grace, it is not now by works: otherwise grace is no more grace” (Romans 11:6).
newadvent.org/cathen/06689x.htm
Him saying that not all Catholics are Christians was correct!
Why? Because many people who claim to be Catholics do not "Follow Christ "e.g. that what being a Christian means! However Father was also wrong when he said “Not all Christians are Catholic” because in order to BE a Christian you must follow Christ! Since Only Catholics do that fully, all other’s (Protestants, SDAs, Mormons, other sects, denominations, groups, fellowships whatever, are not following Christ, and there for can’t, be called, or considered Christians except in their own preverted minds! Jesus should deny them as He stated in the Bible many times! It is that true, it is that simple!