Q: Mortal sin & grace

[Character_Zero]

I’ve been pondering this question for a few days and I cannot figure out the answer.

Any good act, any turning to God or following the will of God, is the result of acting upon God’s grace. With no grace, man can only sin. Correct? I believe so.

Then, since mortal sin cuts man off from grace, how is it possible for man to repent, if grace is needed for repentance?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Atreyu]

Then, since mortal sin cuts man off from grace

This isn’t entirely true, hence your confusion. If we were to be completely cut off from grace, we would cease to exist! I’m hoping someone else will be able to elaborate further, but I’m pretty sure it is this one sentence of yours that is causing the confusion.

 

[RyanL]

In mortal sin saving grace is lost, but not faith. By the power of the graces available through faith, we may yet repent and be restored. Further reading: Council of Trent, Session VI.

**Canon 28.
**If anyone says that with the loss of grace through sin faith is also lost with it, or that the faith which remains is not a true faith, though it is not a living one, or that he who has faith without charity is not a Christian, let him be anathema.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (linked to section)
1861 Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God’s forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ’s kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back…

God Bless,
RyanL

 

[homewardangel]

I had trouble with topic as well. I had been told several times about being in a state of mortal sin and being cut off from God’s grace - I didn’t fully understand what I was being told, but I knew what I was told was not entirely correct.

I went to EWTN’s website to the document library. I did a search on grace and found several helpful articles. Not that I understand what was written completely, but that information helped me to realize that there are different types of grace from God. Which I never truly thought about before. There are explanations in the articles for each type of grace. Including the “first grace” in where it seems that God turns the soul - because the soul has been cut off from grace God gives this gift to help the soul. (if I understand it properly)

It was very interesting, because I never thought about grace in the detail that was given in the articles. Sanctifying grace, “intrinsically efficacous grace”, some grace can be resisted by us, some single graces God gives must be paired with other graces He gives in order to bring about the goal.

The one article that I found very interesting was “Resisting and Cooperating with God” by James Akin.

Terry

 

[montanaman]

Mortal sin deprives us of sanctifying grace, that is, the literal life of God. We are still able to respond to actual graces, or “external promptings.”

 

[Fidelis]

Mortal sin deprives us of sanctifying grace, that is, the literal life of God. We are still able to respond to actual graces, or “external promptings.”

Here is your answer. God is always taking the initiative in our repentence by sending graces for us to respond. Even the most hardened, impenitnent sinners will still be sought out by God until the moment of death, and final impenitence.

Even our initial justification – though we be dead in our sins – is an exercise of our free will by faith in response to and by the grace of God.

I highly recommend the following articles:

Grace: What It Is, and What It Does
catholic.com/library/Grace_What_It_Is.asp

Actual Grace
rosary-center.org/ll46n2.htm

 

[John_Henry]

Any good act, any turning to God or following the will of God, is the result of acting upon God’s grace. With no grace, man can only sin. Correct? I believe so.

No. Without grace, man can perform naturally good acts. It is supernaturally (i.e., meritorious) acts that cannot be accomplished without grace.

Then, since mortal sin cuts man off from grace, how is it possible for man to repent, if grace is needed for repentance?

Mortal sin destroys sanctifying grace. But does not restrict from continuing to pour out actual graces on you, to draw you back to repentance.