Day 262: Habitual and Actual Grace

The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself. CCC 1999

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses habitual and actual grace. In short, what grace is, especially in relation to justification. 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). 

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary of what is the grace that justifies and other kinds of graces:

That grace is the gratuitous gift that God gives us to make us participants in his trinitarian life and able to act by his love. It is called habitual, sanctifying, or deifying grace because it sanctifies and divinizes us. It is supernatural because it depends entirely on God’s gratuitous initiative and surpasses the abilities of the intellect and the powers of human beings. It therefore escapes our experience. (#423)

The Catechism Companion Vol III notes:

In Baptism, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are given sanctifying grace, and that changed us to be a new creation. That change perfects the soul and enables us to live with God. With Baptism, we will never not be a child of God. We can choose to live apart from our Father, but we will always be marked by Baptism. God wants every one of His beloved creatures to say yes to his grace... Before we make any move toward the Lord, he has already moved toward us... God always initiates, and we just respond. (p. 40)

Finally, Dr. Brant Pitre has a good video on how grace saves us:

Day 261: Justification

Justification establishes cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. On man's part, it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who precedes and preserves his assent. CCC 1993

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the one issue more than any other that divided Christians during the Protestant Reformation: justification. 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). As for the divisions caused by the Protestant Reformation on justification, there is hope in the ecumenical agreements reached in the late 1990s.

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary of what justification is:

Justification is the most excellent work of God's love. It is the merciful and freely-given act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our whole being. It is brought about by means of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which has been merited for us by the passion of Christ and is given to us in Baptism. Justification is the beginning of the free response of man, that is, faith in Christ and of cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit. (#422)

 The Catechism Companion, Vol III has some good commentary on this:

The life of the Holy Spirit is how we are called to live. We are not just covered by grace, but grace does something inside of us. Through the sacraments, our fundamental disposition toward the Lord is radically reoriented. We are made into new creations... We are not merely passive recipients of God's grace. We are always active recipients of God's grace because we could reject it... When the Holy Spirit comes upon us in this work of giving us grace, and we walk in faith, hope, and love because of what Jesus has done for us, every action of the day is an act of grace. (p. 38)

Finally, Dr. Jenislawski of Christendom College has a great lecture on the question, "Are you saved?" that is found over at Institute for the Catholic Culture. 

Day 260: Summary of the Moral Law

The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit received by faith in Christ, operating through charity. It finds expression above all in the Lord's Sermon on the Mount and uses the sacraments to communicate grace to us. CCC 1983

In today's reading, the Catechism gives an In Brief reviewing what has been covered over the past few days. I have nothing else to add.

I did appreciate some of the good commentary on this in the Catholic Catechism Vol III:

God has written the law in our hearts. And he gave us the Old Law because we did not read those things he wrote in our hearts, though we do know that there's such a thing as right and wrong. Our common humanity reveals that we all have consciences. We know when we have violated the good... Many of the heartaches we experience are because, for at least a moment, those around us or we ourselves dismissed God's "fatherly instruction" (CCC 1975). God gives us these commandments because he wants us to have life, freedom, and joy. (p. 36)

Day 259: The New Commandment

The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between "the two ways" and to put into practice the words of the Lord. It is summed up in the Golden Rule, "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets." The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us. CCC 1970

Today's reading from the Catechism is very short, just four paragraphs on the New Commandment of Jesus (Jn 15:12). In the New Law, we keep this New Commandment not out of fear, but "because it makes us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit" (CCC 1972). The love of God and the love of neighbor are at the heart of the Gospel message, and as Christians, we are called to it. As St. Paul cautions us, if we have everything, including faith, but do not have love, we have gained nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3).

The Catechism Companion, Vol III has some good commentary on this:

Jesus has loved us by pouring out his very life for us - saying yes to his Father so the Father could be glorified and so we could have new life... In the Great Commandment, we are called to love God with everything. We are called to love him as the core of everything we are and everything we have... In the New Law we have the fulfillment of entering into a relationship with God through the sacraments... We might not be called to the evangelical counsels - to poverty, chastity, and obedience - but we are all called to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. (p. 34)

Day 258: The New Law

The Law of the Gospel "fulfills," refines, surpasses, and leads the Old Law to its perfection. In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of heaven." It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with faith - the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those persecuted on account of Christ, and so marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom. CCC 1967

Today's reading from the Catechism is focused on the New Law or Law of the Gospel. This is founded upon the whole life and teachings of Jesus Christ, especially as found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). The New Law "is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful" (CCC 1996), "fulfills the commandments of the Law" without abolishing them  (CCC 1968), and "practices the acts of religion" (CCC 1969). 

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary of what the New Law is:

The New Law or the Law of the Gospel, proclaimed and fulfilled by Christ, is the fullness and completion of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is summed up in the commandment to love God and neighbor and to love one another as Christ loved us. It is also an interior reality: the grace of the Holy Spirit, which makes possible such love. It is “the law of freedom” because it inclines us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity. (#420)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

The New Law "works through charity," looking to the Sermon on the Mount (CCC 1966). Through the sacraments it provides the grace we need to live as we are called. Jesus is the source of all grace. He communicates that grace to us and gives us the ability to live this new life through the Paschal Mystery - his life, death, and Resurrection - which we come into contact with through the sacraments. It is through all the sacraments - such as the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Baptism - that we have access to the grace that God gives us in order to live this new life. (p. 32)

Sermon on the Mount, an 1877 painting by Carl Bloch

This artwork shows Jesus preaching in his Sermon on the Mount. We are meant to see him as the new Moses, as one who comes not to abolish but to perfect the Old Law (CCC 1967). (p. 33)

Day 257: The Old Law

God, our Creator and Redeemer, chose Israel for himself to be his people and revealed his Law to them, thus preparing for the coming of Christ. the Law of Moses expresses many truths naturally accessible to reason. These are stated and authenticated within the covenant of salvation. CCC 1961

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the Old Law, that is, the Law of Moses found in the Torah or the first five books of the Old Testament. The Old Law "moral prescriptions are summed up in the Ten Commandments" (CCC 1962). It prefigured Christ and was a "preparation for the Gospel" (CCC 1964). 

The Catechism Compendium summarizes the place the Old Law has in the plan of salvation:

The Old Law permitted one to know many truths which are accessible to reason, showed what must or must not be done, and, above all, like a wise tutor, prepared and disposed one for conversion and for the acceptance of the Gospel. However, while being holy, spiritual, and good, the Old Law was still imperfect because, in itself, it did not give the strength and the grace of the Spirit for its observance. (#419)

The Catechism Companion, Vol III has some good commentary on this:

The limitation of the Old Covenant is that it highlighted what was good and what needed to be avoided, but it did not provide human beings the power to actually do that... Jesus gives the fullness of the law in the New Covenant. He did not come just to give us more laws but to give us new hearts. He came to give us the power to live out the call that he has placed upon our hearts. (p. 30)

Finally, this video from Ascension Presents with Fr. Mike Schmitz is recommended on this:

Day 256: The Natural Moral Law

The moral law finds its fullness and its unity in Christ. Jesus Christ is in person the way of perfection. He is the end of the law, for only he teaches and bestows the justice of God: "For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified." CCC 1953

In today's reading, the Catechism discusses the natural moral law. It acts as a guide of sorts on providing order to society and how to live our lives, with the ultimate destination leading to God. This can be discerned through reason, which God has given us, though sin can mar its understanding and acceptance.

The Catechism Compendium gives a summary in what the natural law consists:

The natural law, which is inscribed by the Creator on the heart of every person, consists in a participation in the wisdom and the goodness of God. It expresses that original moral sense which enables one to discern by reason the good and the bad. It is universal and immutable and determines the basis of the duties and fundamental rights of the person as well as those of the human community and civil law. (#416)

Finally, the Catechism Companion, Vol III has some good commentary on this:

God is the source of all goodness and life, so he commands good and life. God makes this world in accordance with reason - not because reason is a law above God, but because God is reasonable. The law that comes from God, the eternal law, is consistent with the Old Covenant laws, and those are consistent with the New Covenant law, the law of the Gospel. Hopefully, our civil laws are consistent with all of those. They are all meant to be interconnected and inform one another. (p. 28)