God hears everyone and everything, even a fly crawling on the ceiling. He is certainly aware of what you are saying. But that is not the point of the priest. He said that anything you do, that is any good deed, is worth nothing in the next kingdom, and therefore does not merit a reward for doing it. Basically, you are working and doing for nothing. Any good in your life is worthless in the next world.A friend of mine shared something with me that I found disturbing (especially since it was something her priest had told her). She told me that a person’s prayers in a state of mortal sin merit him nothing. This frightens me because it has been a while since I have been to confession, but all this time I have been praying. Have I just been talking to myself, then?
A meritorious prayer would be one which is “worthy” or “deserving of reward”. God assures us that he hears and answers all our prayers (so they are all meritorious), but if we aren’t open to his grace, he really can’t do much for us. Efficacious would be the effect that the prayer has - for example the grace your receive for the prayer or the fulfillment of the prayer’s request by God. So, even if one is in sin, his prayer is heard and never “merits nothing” - but it is a severe impediment to be living in a state of sin. God can’t apply the graces of our prayers upon us because we have turned away from him in sin and have not sought sacramental confession. Like I said in my previous post, if you feel like you may not be in the state of grace, the best thing you can do is go to confession.Thank you for your reply, christus_vincit. Please do not take the following question as my wanting to do only the minimum, but I am confused by these terms meritorious and efficacious. Aren’t prayers being meritorious and efficacious the same thing as being heard? That is to say that if a prayer “merits nothing”, isn’t it just bouncing off the sky?
Forgive me, as I do not mean to frustrate you.
How can one merit anything without sanctifying grace? A person praying for conversion to Christianity would surely be aided by grace - but this isn’t the same sanctifying grace that gives life to the soul. All of us are held in existence - even the devil and his angels - by grace. But Lucifer certainly doesn’t have sanctifying grace. So perhaps I should have specified that I was speaking of the sanctifying grace which lose when we commit a mortal sin. Until that sin is repented of and absolved we don’t have the life of grace.Christus vincit makes a claim :** “God does hear your prayers, but are they meritorious if the life of grace is dead in your soul? No they aren’t.”**
This is ludicrous.
If this were True, then NEVER could a person pray to God for help in coverting to Christianity.
If you have a Citation to show that the Catholic Church has ruled your way, please cite it.
??? That’s what mortal sin means. Mortal sin means that the life of sanctifying grace is no longer in our souls. Like I said before, WE are responsible for putting ourselves in sin. Therefore, it is not God keeping his grace from me - rather, it is ME keeping God’s grace from ME. Its such basic theology that I don’t feel need to do your research for you. If we die in mortal sin we go to hell. Why? Because we are void of God’s sanctifying grace. What is wrong with saying that?Christus vincit continues in his NO grace for Mortal sinners : "How can one merit anything without sanctifying grace? … All of us are held in existence - even the devil and his angels - by grace. But Lucifer certainly doesn’t have sanctifying grace. … I was speaking of the sanctifying grace which [Catholics will] lose when we commit a mortal sin. Until that sin is repented of and absolved we don’t have the life of grace."
Uh huh.
But, I would like you to Cite your source for this Mortal sin completely stops all Sanctifying Grace theory.
I ask this question, because I disagree with it, and I have a God Who can give Sanctifying Grace to whomever He pleases.
But, if the Pope has RULED that this is an incorrect belief, I will bend my Faith to make room for it.
So, if the Pope has decreed this … please let us all know.
Look at it this way: If I die in the state of mortal sin, will attending 100 Masses, reciting 1000 rosaries, giving to the poor, and helping to convert 10 people to Catholicism save me if I refused to repent of my mortal sins and receive sacramental Confession? I would say no. If these things alone - without Confession - somehow merited our salvation then why even have Confession?This Thread is about receiving NO Merit for one’s prayers if he has committed a Mortal Win.
Christus vincin keeps mixing up the issues, and dancing around the question.
So, please don’t give that so-so definition of Sanctifying Grace any longer.
Please respond to the actual Question at hand.
Does a person with a Mortal Sin, get ZERO Merits for going to 100 Masses, and reciting 1000 Rosaries, and giving to the Poor, and helping to convert 10 people to Catholicism?
We must cooperate with God’s grace for it to work in us. God can send as much grace as he wants to us, but if we don’t cooperate with that grace, what good does it do for us?? So yes, our free will does give us the “power” to accept or reject God’s grace.Now, I will address something else that Christus vincin claims : "it is not God keeping His grace from me - rather, it is ME keeping God’s grace from ME."
Wow ! And I thought God was strong and powerful.
So, you are stating that people have the Power to force God to act (or to NOT act)?
This gives Mortal Sinners an amazing amount of power over Jesus Christ.
The Bible speaks of people who are sick Spiritually receive MUCH MORE Grace from God than those who are (already) righteous.
This, although I have not thought-out this issue for more than a few minutes, seems to contradict your God-is-STOPPED-from-giving-Grace theory.
For, those people are (almost surely) those who have a Mortal Sin on their Soul.
He hears their prayers for the grace of true repentance (the grace to feel sorry for your sins and confess them to a priest), but He does not hear their prayers for other favors, unless they are willing to give up their sins and do penance.No, everyone should pray. Especially should mortal sinners pray to be delivered from their sins.Baltimore CatechismThis Thread is about receiving NO Merit for one’s prayers (and , other Meritorious actions) if he has committed a Mortal Win.
Christus vincin keeps mixing up the issues, and dancing around the question.
So, please don’t give that so-so definition of Sanctifying Grace any longer.
Please respond to the actual Question at hand.
Does a person with a Mortal Sin, get ZERO Merits for going to 100 Masses, and reciting 1000 Rosaries, and giving to the Poor, and helping to convert 10 people to Catholicism?
This.Baltimore Catechism
Q. 842. How do good works done in mortal sin profit us?
A. Good works done in mortal sin profit us by obtaining for us the grace to repent and sometimes temporal blessings. Mortal sin deprives us of all our merit, nevertheless God will bestow gifts for every good deed as He will punish every evil deed.
Catechism of the Catholic Church****2010 Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God’s wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.
2011 The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.After earth’s exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. . . . In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own *justice *and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.63