I have a question(s) on initial grace, since I want to make sure I am understanding the Catholic position on free will correctly.
I am going to assume that by “initial grace” you mean the same as “sanctifying grace” - that is, the supernatural life of God infused into our soul at Baptism which also removes the stain of original sin.
Man is created with free will by God. However, since man was so corrupted from the Fall, that no one could objectively turn to Christ for salvation, since we would typically choose sin.
Man was not so totally corrupted as a result of the Fall that he could not turn to God (OT)/Jesus (NT). If you read the OT you see there were people who did turn to God and try to follow His ways. (eg. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc.) You’ll find our Catholic teaching does not speak about our nature being corrupted, but rather
wounded. Man could turn to God and try to keep His commands, but none of us are able to do it perfectly.
So, we were given grace by God, such that we are not captive to
Original Sin, and can now objectively use our free will to accept,
or in many cases, reject God.
On our own we could never conquer our sinful tendencies and reach perfection. But, with the aid of God’s grace in us, strengthening our will, we can overcome sin (that is, be saved from it; have it totally gone). As a matter of fact, we have to become perfect before we can enter heaven (there will be no sinfulness in heaven). Now this doesn’t magically happen when we receive grace at Baptism. It takes cooperation and effort on our part too. Most of us will probably spend time in purgatory before our sinfulness has been totally purged.
If so, what is this initial grace that we are blessed with that allows us to choose God called? Is it simply called “initial grace”?
Or is it bestowed upon us at baptism?
I don’t recall the term “initial grace” being used in Catholic teaching in regards to the grace that frees us from original sin. It is usually called sanctifying grace (or justifying grace, deifying grace). The Catechism of the Catholic Church glossary defines it as:
The grace which heals our human nature wounded by sin by giving us a share in the divine life of the Trinity. It is a habitual, supernatural gift which continues the work of sanctifying us–of making us “perfect”, holy, and Christlike.
I would suggest reading the CCC section titled GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION, paragraphs #1987 through 2029.
When an unbaptized person is inspired to seek God, it is a result of a grace bestowed on him by God - but this is not sanctifying grace. It is a temporary help/gift from God to aid us in a particular act. Because this grace comes before one’s actual conversion, it is perhaps what is meant when someone speaks of initial grace.
Lastly, and sorry for the length on this, aren’t all men given this grace to be allowed to use our free will to choose God - even the non-baptised?
All are born with a free will that is capable of choosing God. We did not lose that ability as a result of the Fall.
I know I am all over the board, but I am a bit confused.
It just sounds as tho you’ve come across some of the Protestant teaching that says our nature was totally corrupted as a result of the Fall; that man is incapable of using free will for good, etc.
It really helps to get clear the idea that there are two major classifications of grace in Catholic teaching and thinking:
**Habitual grace **- which is sanctifying grace. Once received in baptism, it is meant to be continually/habitually present in our souls. (It is lost only through mortal sin, but restored again if the sinner confesses.)
**Actual graces **- the many gifts of temporary help God bestows to help us carry out good acts of thought, word, or deed.
Hope this helps.
Nita
