Day 266: The Gift of Grace

The grace of the Holy Spirit confers upon us the righteousness of God. Uniting us by faith and Baptism to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us sharers in his life. CCC 2017

Today's reading from the Catechism consists entirely of an In Brief, summarizing what has been covered over the past few days. Fr. Schmitz is right: grace is central to almost every bullet point, or "nugget" as he calls them. Grace is not only central, it's the very heart of justification, sanctification, and final salvation because grace is unmerited and comes from God alone. As I wrote before:

• In short, justification in Catholic teaching is the process by which one is made righteous and brought into a right relationship with God. With justification, there is forgiveness of sins by the redemptive sacrifice of Christ (Rom 5:9), sanctification by the Holy Spirit (2 Thes 2:13), and by God's grace, divinization (2 Pet 1:4). (Day 261)
• Grace is a free gift from God, given to us not because we earn or deserve it (Eph 2:8-19), but comes from the loving and sacrificial redemption of Christ at Calvary (Gal 1:4). It precedes, prepares and justifies us, inviting our free response in cooperating with the grace given to us (1 Cor 15:10). Grace does not merely forgive but transforms us to live more like Christ (2 Pet 1:3-4). (Day 262)
• With grace, we are given the ability to freely respond to God's calling. It is through that grace that we can freely know God and love Him. Grace does not coerce; it enables. (Day 263)
• Without grace, everything else is in vain. The "initial grace of forgiveness and justification" is due to God alone, not man (Day 264).
• [The call to holiness] is both the path and the fruit of theosis (2 Pet 1:4). (Day 265)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on today's reading:

So much of Catholic theology is understood in light of grace. Grace is central to everything because what god has done for us is grace; it is his unmerited and free gift... God moves us by his grace, and we respond by the power of his grace in our free will. Justification is not through our own deeds but by the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works by our Baptism and brings us into right relationship with the Father... God's grace does not overwhelm or eradicate our liberty but works with it and brings it to its fullness. Sin makes us slaves, making us less free to say no to sin and yes to grace. But grace sets us free - to say yes to the good and no to the bad... The honest truth is that the only good in us comes from the Lord God. (p. 48)

Finally, Fr. Schmitz has an excellent video on what we need to be saved: