Singinbeauty:
I am confused as to where I am minimizing ‘works’ and their importance. In my book it’s kind of a ‘catch 22’… You can’t have one without the other. :
: I guess one thing that we have to do is DEFINE ‘works’. In your next post could you let me know what the catholic stance is on what ‘works’ ARE. That probably will help.
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I would love to (but let me remind you that our conscience will play a big part in it as well, and as Christians we should ever strive to have a properly formed conscience. Also we find great depth in the Jesus words…If anyone should meditate with devotion and perspicacity on the sermon our Lord gave on the mount, as we read in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, he will doubtless find there . . . the perfect way of the Christian life. . . . This sermon contains . . . all the precepts needed to shape one’s life.)
**1473 **The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the “new man.”
**2447 **The
works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.
Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God:
He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
**1460 **The *penance *the confessor imposes must take into account the penitent’s personal situation and must seek his spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering, works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices, and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ, “provided we suffer with him.”
The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things with the cooperation of “him who strengthens” us. Thus man has nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . . . in whom we make satisfaction by bringing forth “fruits that befit repentance.” These fruits have their efficacy from him, by him they are offered to the Father, and through him they are accepted by the Father.
Singinbeauty:
Definitely. With the free will God has given us we have to CHOOSE God and His law. But my stance is… if we have TRUE faith the choice is obvious. We choose God. And even if we aren’t PERFECT in obeying God we do strive very hard because of the faith we have.
I agree, but we shouldn’t deceive ourselves into a false security, or into complacency. Are you/we truly denying yourself/ourselves and picking up your/our cross(es) and following in Christ’s footsteps? We all need to do this, for Our Lord told us that this is the way to eternal life.
