Sanctifying Grace and Actual Grace ... is that all?

[Areopagite]

It’s been repeatedly said in many catechisms that there are two kinds of grace … sanctifying (or habitual) grace and actual grace.

But what about something like Sacramental grace? I’ve read in various places that it doesn’t fall under either category.

For that matter, what about the theological virtues of faith and hope? When you commit a mortal sin, you lose the virtue of charity and thus also lose sanctifying grace. However, you can still have faith and hope. So, obviously faith and hope do not fall under sanctifying grace, right? And I dare say, they wouldn’t fall under actual grace as they lack a temporary/transient character (something that would thus make it differ from actual grace) … unless … I don’t know … faith and hope ARE temporary, insofar as we won’t have them in heaven yet still have the virtue of charity. But that doesn’t sound right.

Yeah, so I’m really confused. I’ve searched several books on Catholic Doctrine and they all seem to dance around this issue. My theory is that the idea that there are just two kinds of grace is simply wrong. I’m curiously how that oft-repeated theological rumor got started. Unless, of course, it’s true … but how on earth could that be?

Any insight anyone? I’m really eager to know the answer to this.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

The sacraments give sanctifying grace.

Good question about faith and hope though.

 

[Areopagite]

The sacraments give sanctifying grace.

Good question about faith and hope though.

That’s true that the sacraments give sanctifying grace … but, in addition to that, each sacrament gives their own distinct supernatural gift to the recipient. This unique kind of grace can be called (somewhat confusingly) sacramental grace (also called sacramental character … I think?), which is actually a distinct kind of grace from the sanctifying grace that they also give.

Off the top of my head, I believe that the specific sacramental grace of the sacrament of matrimony gives you an extra grace that help your marriage (that the other sacraments don’t give). Confirmation gives you a specific sacramental grace to help you live and preach the faith with courage. Last Rites obviously makes you more prepared for death. And of course, Holy Orders confers the grace of the priesthood. Etc.

So, are these special Sacramental graces a kind of sanctifying grace or a kind of actual grace? I’m quite sure they can’t be actual graces, since they are not transient … well, holy orders is not transient anyway (since priests remains priests even after death) … and of course, holy orders don’t disappear when a priest is in mortal sin … so it can’t be sanctifying grace either. Sacramental grace thus doesn’t seem to fit under Sanctifying grace or Actual grace.

Hence, there must obviously be more than just Sanctifying and Actual grace. Why then do so many catechisms seem to insist that there are just those two (and no other separate category)?

 

[Katholish]

Dude, were you in a different section of Doctrine 101?

There are 4 kinds of Grace:

• Sanctifying
• Actual
• Sacramental
• gratia gratis data (“grace freely given” which refers to charismatic gifts and special graces)

Q111 of the Prima Secundae has some info on gratia gratis data in relation to sanctifying Grace if you are interested.

 

[Areopagite]

Dude, were you in a different section of Doctrine 101?

There are 4 kinds of Grace:

• Sanctifying
• Actual
• Sacramental
• gratia gratis data (“grace freely given” which refers to charismatic gifts and special graces)

Ha. Yeah, I was there. And I did already take a look at those notes. But then I was thrown off because I came across four or five books about Catholic doctrine that all seemed to say that there are only 2 kinds of grace (Sanctifying and Actual).

Now, maybe they’re not saying that those are the ONLY two distinctions you can make. But, for example, the ol’ Baltimore Catechism says: “110. How many kinds of grace is there? There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying and actual.”

So, that kind of bugged me.

Q111 of the Prima Secundae has some info on gratia gratis data in relation to sanctifying Grace if you are interested.

Sweet. Thanks.