Is grace necessary for virtue?

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MilesVitae

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Moral Theology doesn’t seem to me the ideal place to put this, but I wasn’t sure where else it should go.

I’m a little confused about what Church teaching is on this matter - is grace necessary in order to resist temptation and grow in virtue, or is man capable of some moral goodness without grace?
 
MilesVitae said:
Moral Theology doesn’t seem to me the ideal place to put this, but I wasn’t sure where else it should go.

I’m a little confused about what Church teaching is on this matter - is grace necessary in order to resist temptation and grow in virtue, or is man capable of some moral goodness without grace?
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I strongly recommend the book, The Virtue Driven Life by Fr. Benedict Groeschel. In the first or second chapter, he discusses the differences between natural virtues which are human ones and supernatural virtues which rely on the grace of Christ. AWESOME book, well worth every penny and then some.

I also recommend The Sinner’s Guide by Venerable Louis of Grenada.

and I’m so glad you brought this up because I really adore both of those books!
 
MilesVitae said:
I’m a little confused about what Church teaching is on this matter - is grace necessary in order to resist temptation and grow in virtue, or is man capable of some moral goodness without grace?
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Hi MilesVitae!

To answer simply, no. Good is in and of itself a grace of God. So anytime we do good, we are cooperating with the grace God has given us.

The fact that you are breathing right now is by the grace of God.

Hope that helps!
 
MilesVitae said:
Moral Theology doesn’t seem to me the ideal place to put this, but I wasn’t sure where else it should go.

I’m a little confused about what Church teaching is on this matter - is grace necessary in order to resist temptation and grow in virtue, or is man capable of some moral goodness without grace?
Click to expand...
Dear MilesVitae.

No. People can have virtue even if they don’t have sanctifying grace, however, virtue becomes easier with the help of the Holy Spirit.
However, only with sanctifying grace can your actions have supernatural merit, that is,
help you to get into heaven because only then are your actions taking place in Christ.
 
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