Justification an event and Process in Catholicism?

[Bookcat]

However, there is some nuance in Catholic theology with regard to the term Justification. For example, from Trent, justification is described as:a translation, from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of the sons of God, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. And this translation, since the promulgation of the Gospel, cannot be effected, without the laver of regeneration, or the desire thereof, as it is written; unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God…

 

[Bookcat]

So there, in a certain sense, justification is effected at baptism. Such a soul is heaven-bound, which is a sense of justification. So yes, one is “justified” at baptism, mean they have been made “just,” made worthy of heaven. But that does not preclude the completion, in a sense, of that justification, the perfection of the soul without which it will not enter heaven. So you can think of it as receiving an invitation to the banquet––you’ll get in––but you’ll be cleaned up before you can enter. So it depends on what attribute of justification you’re looking at when considering when it is completed. If you’re looking for when the soul is worthy (gets the invitation), then it’s normatively baptism (btw I believe po18guy is correct that a soul at the moment of baptism is wholly sanctified). If you’re looking for the final entry of the just into heaven, then it’s after the sanctifying dimension of justification.

A person can be justified …and die without anything else occuring…and enter right away into the glory of heaven. And then rise again at the resurrection with glorified body…

Without any need of any further purification.

Sanctification (as you noted) happens at the same time…they are holy.

Saints.

Now what normally happens is life goes one for one who is not an infant --and sins happen – so will their be various ways that they are further made holy? Sure. And could it happen that they fall into mortal sin and need to be restored to a state of justification? Yes and be further purified in life or right after? yes.

 

[fhansen]

I understand what you are saying but initial justification is an event not a process. When God infuses us with sanctifying grace he does it instantly not progressively.

From the CCC:
**1263 By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.66 In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.
**
In Catholicism we’re saved, being saved, and will be saved, all three tenses supported by scripture, because, even after initial justification-the restoration of fallen man-we’re not forced to remain justified, any more than Adam was forced to remain sinless, i.e. we can always fall again. Ultimately we must persevere to the end of our lives, with whatever time we’re allowed, and God’s the final judge, as per Matt 25:31-46

 

[Vinny213]

Here is my correspondence with famous catholic apologist Bryan Cross and he basically confirms my analyses as true. His response is below each analysis.

I also have a question on justification to ask you. Is it true that in
Catholicism justification is also an event not just a process?

Yes.

In baptism we
are instantly infused with sanctifying grace and instantly justified, like
Aquinas says. This is the event part.

Yes.

Then comes the progressive part were
we preserve and increase in the righteousness which we have received.

Yes.

So
there is no either or in justification in Catholicism?

Exactly.

Its not like in
protestantism which is just an event, it is both event and process.

Correct.

In the peace of Christ,

I also have issue with the following qoute from Jimmy Akin. Here is quote from Akin:
So the Catholic Church, like the Bible and like some Protestants, teaches that justification is a process. It is something that begins when we first become a Christian, which continues in our life, and which will be completed when we stand before God at the end of our life and on the last day.

I would agree with most of this but like I said Justification is also an instantaneous event in Catholicism, so I think Akin oversimplifies the issue if he refers to it solely as a process, which is also catholic teaching. There is no either or in catholic teaching. I am told that a catholic does not have to choose between an event or process since both can be included in his theology. So Akin’s above quote is not really accurate and he fails to make a distinction between initial justification and progressive justification.

 

[Jerry-Jet]

Justification is instantaneous but is not “instantaneous only”… It is not a "DISCRETE event only.

What it really is is an instantaneous event that FLOWS.

Salvation requires: the instantaneous evento of salvation WITH the FLOWING of grace from that event THROUGH “God willed works” unto death.

Mortal sin INTERRUPTS the FLOW and if death occurs during that INTERRUPTION will result in Hell.

Death Bed Conversions while rare are possible. When they happen there is only a minute scant amount of time between the INSTANTANEOUS moment of salvation and the moment of death.

Even if that amount of time is only a nano second for that one nano second FAITH FLOWS!

Faith is not a BRAND!

One thing I can’t understand are people with minds that can’t seem to grasp the reality of an event happening at a specific point in time while ALSO CONTINUING.

The problem with the OSAS proponents is they believe that initial justification will always and NECESSARILY continue to salvation.

That is certainly not the case–it does continue for a certain amount of time after that INSTANTANEOUS event of initial justification but it only continues as far as the next MORTAL sin is committed which INTERRUPTS that flow.

The person can repent and be reconciled to God and the flow will start again.

The main point is though that the flow must be CONTINUING at death.

If it isn’t–if a person is in a state of mortal sin–the person will go to Hell.

Which also means that really it isn’t “Faith alone” that saves because faith is not only an INSTANTANEOUS event but also the flow from that event.

Which also means it can’t be “God willed works” only because those “God willed works” can only happen WITHY faith.

Many people say “Faith + works” but that is also wrong because it makes faith and works discrete parts.

The PROCESS of salvation if one wants to call it that is initial INSTANEOUS Faith that continues THROUGH “God Willed Works” unto death".

Process tends to CONNOTE parts along the journey that we must accomplish which is certainly TRUE but it is also true the the Spirit flows where it wills–in other words while there are sometimes things God wants us to do–such as “God willed works” there are other parts of our salvation journey where we just FLOW along with the grace of God.

Those times of the FLOWING I don’t think you could call a process.

I like JOURNEY of salvation as a better explanation–people would think of that journey as LED by God through the eyes of faith.

A journey like that takes eyes that can PROCESS the visible and also eyes that have the VISION that sees beyond PROCESS to the invisible.