Latest / The Uncensored Catholic / Show 127: Sanctifying Grace

Transcript

Show 127: Sanctifying Grace · The Uncensored Catholic

0:41
The f A Hey, y'all, welcome to today's show. Today we will
1:03
get into we're continue to discuss the Holy Spirit. We're going to discuss sanctifying
1:08
grace. But first we would turn to the classic book radio replies, and
1:14
we're gonna start getting some of the key points of the division between Protestism and
1:23
Catholicism. The reasons why Protestants are protesting the church founded by Jesus Christ,
1:30
the one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that has the fullness of the truth,
1:34
the person says. The person asks the priest, I should say, did
1:40
not Luther give nighty reasons for leaving the Catholic Church? The answer, he
1:44
gave many excuses, but no real reasons. Before he left the church.
1:48
He was a member of a religious order, vowed for the love of Christ
1:51
to poverty, chastity, and obedience. He broke all three vows. Vices,
1:56
whether intellectual or moral, are excuses, not reasons for leaving the church.
2:01
Person continues, was not Luther a brave man to follow his convictions despite
2:06
the opposition of the Catholic Church? They answer, He had a certain natural
2:09
courage, but that was no more virtue than the courage often found in evildoers.
2:15
I do not maintain that merely human courage is the monopoly of good Christian
2:20
men. However, I deny that Luther was following sincere conscience. Rather,
2:23
he followed his passions. Person asks Luther or posits Luther knew that his love
2:30
for God did not forbid his entering the state of matrimony, which Jesus had
2:34
blessed at Cana, And they answer. Luther knew that it was certainly contrary
2:38
to his duty to God to violate the solemn vowels he had made to God,
2:43
and still more so to take a nune from her convent as his wife.
2:46
He may remember that Luther and this nun entered into a sham marriage.
2:52
They had no love for each other, just to cause scandal, just to
2:57
upset people. Jesus and his apostles to love him so much as to leave
3:01
aside all attachment to father, mother, wife, or children, in order
3:07
the more closely to follow him. He blessed marriage for such as are called
3:12
to that state, But he himself did not marry, nor did his apostles
3:15
after they were called to the ministry. The person then states, Luther believed
3:20
that he is happy whose conscious alloweth the thing he doth. Well, that's
3:25
a very English way of saying, do whatever makes you happy. So of
3:30
course that would allow, you know, robbing a bank, committing rape or
3:35
murder, if that, you know, would make you happy. They answer,
3:38
The only lawful sense of such saying is happy is he whose conduct never
3:44
goes against what a right conscious allows. With Luther, it meant happy is
3:50
he whose consciences twisted and distorted until it allows whatsoever one wishes to do.
3:55
If a Catholic priest today did what Luther did, then the Protestant world would
4:00
hold up its hands in horror, and the newspapers would broadcast it as yet
4:03
another scandal in the Catholic Church. Very little changes of her time, does
4:08
it? Picture of the heading priest runs away with none. Yet you pretend
4:13
that this is edifying in Luther. No one who has an elementary knowledge of
4:16
the life of Christ and that of Luther could possibly reconcile them. The majority
4:21
of those who glorify Luther know little or nothing about him save his name.
4:27
They believe in a legendary Luther, accepting it on trust that he tried to
4:30
follow the pure gospel. Sincere presents today do wish to follow Christ. But
4:34
the more they do so, the less like Luther they become. And finally,
4:39
for today, the person goes on, actually a little bit, but
4:41
we'll in with do you know of any good in Luther? And they answer
4:44
intellectually not much. He declared that reason was of the devil, and that
4:48
the Christian must regard it as his greatest enemy, morality less still, Saint
4:54
Paul says that those who are Christ have crucified their flesh with its vices and
4:58
concupants concupidcents. The word is concupiscence, and this is in the tense of
5:04
concupiscences, and it means the proclivity to do evil rather than good. It
5:11
means our sinful nature. I do wish we'd use more plain language in Catholic
5:15
writing. You know, you shouldn't have to have a dictionary by your side
5:18
to know what someone means, when you could say it more plainly and have
5:25
the same meaning, not losing any of the importance of the word. You
5:29
know, but that's you know, Catholics like to use big words. I
5:33
don't know, I mean, you know, we met Buckley was one of
5:36
the main ones that led me into the church in Buckley, or Buckley junior
5:41
man. He had what they called the sesqua paedallion verbosity. This one it
5:46
was called once in a in a a publication, which he thought was funny,
5:50
and that just many liked to use words of seven syllables or more well,
5:55
anyway, that was a reference to Galatians five. For that Luther indulged
6:00
in his vicence and concupiscences is clear from his writings, where he gives disgraceful
6:08
conditions of his own indulgence in everything passionate. His diaries record shocking excesses of
6:14
sensuality which could not be printed in a decent book today. A true apostle
6:18
of Christ does not give ventices expressions as to be content and chaste is not
6:24
in me? Or why do I sit soaked in wine? I do not
6:28
say these things merely to detract from the memory of Luther. But it is
6:30
not right that people should be duped by the thought that Luther was a well
6:33
balanced, saintly reformer. He was not entirely devoid of good qualities. He
6:40
was endowed with a certain kindness and generosity, But this does not compensate for
6:45
his vices. He should have controlled his sentimentality and emotional nature and light of
6:48
Christian principles. He did not, but gave free reign to his lower passions,
6:55
calmly saying that a man has to do so and would not be responsible
6:59
for such kind. The more you look into Luther, the more you realize
7:04
everything you've been taught about him by Protestants and secular organizations is a lie.
7:10
He was, as the Church used to more boldly proclaim, and Antichrist.
7:15
He was opposed to true Christian doctrine, morality, and the Church of God,
7:23
and did not offer a positive, much less a superior alternative. He
7:30
was actually a very flawed and dare I say evil man? And why would
7:36
I say evil man? Well? In his own writings he admitted that it
7:41
was Satan who led him to rail against the Eucharist. He convinced millions of
7:46
people that the eucharists, the body and blood of Christ taken in communion,
7:50
was not the body and blood of Christ, as Jesus said in the Bible
7:55
and as the Church teaches, but merely symbolic and unnecessary change the words of
8:01
Jesus from your saved by faith and works to by faith alone. He altered
8:07
so much of Christian doctrine to suit his own will, and then when asked
8:13
about it, he said, you can tell the papist that I do it
8:15
under the authority of doctor Luther. He set himself up as his own God.
8:20
He literally committed the same sins as the devil, So how could we
8:24
not call him an evil man? There you have it all right. Now,
8:30
let's move on to the Holy Spirit, which you know certainly was not
8:37
speaking through Martin Luther. I think we can say that under the topic of
8:41
sanctifying grace. This is from Father Spirago's book The Exhaustive Explanation of the Catechism
8:48
of the Catholic Church, written in the eighteen nineties, as you should know
8:52
by now if you've been listening to the podcast. But hey, we may
8:54
have some new listeners who may be absolutely freaked out by what I just said
8:56
about Martin Luther. Well read his works. He may have even well supposedly
9:05
he did. I haven't found it in his own writing, but he is
9:09
said to have even encouraged one of his parishioners, one of the people in
9:15
his Lutheran church, a woman, to commit adultery so she could indulge her
9:20
desires. You know, absolutely breaking the commandments of God sanctifying grace. When
9:28
the cyneric cooperates with actual grace, the Holy Ghost enters his soul and confers
9:33
upon it a brightness and beauty which claimed the friendship of God. This dwelling
9:37
beauty of the soul is called is due to the presence of the Holy Spirit,
9:41
and is called sanctifying grace. Iron placed in a fire becomes heated and
9:46
glows like the fire itself. So does the Holy Spirit entering a soul in
9:50
dwelling there he references First Corinthians six po. Nineteen. It gives it a
9:54
new nature, light and glory, which we call sanctifying grace. That God
9:58
has drawn to men by the cooperation with his grace appears from God's own word.
10:05
And turn ye to me, and I will turn to you Zachariah on
10:07
three. Sanctifying grace is a new garment, so represented by the wedding garment
10:13
in the Parable of the Supper in Matthew twenty two I'm sorry, yeah,
10:18
I think so, and the prodigal sign in Luke fifteen. The soul acquires
10:22
a great beauty by the presence of the Holy Spirit, says Saint John Christostom,
10:28
He who enters into a state of grace is like a man bowed with
10:31
infirmities in age, who by a miracle has been transformed into a beautiful youth,
10:35
dressed in purple and carrying a scepter. If says Saint Blossius, If
10:41
says Blas, If says Blossius, the beauty of a soul in the state
10:46
of grace could be seen, mankind would be transported with wonder and delight.
10:52
Just as the palace must be beautifully furnished when a king comes to dwelling it,
10:56
so the soul of man must be made into a beautiful temple by the
10:58
Holy before men can dwell in it. After the resurrection, the appearance of
11:03
the body will be determined by that of the soul. Let Us, therefore,
11:07
says Saint John Chrysostom, give all our care to the soul, for
11:11
this is the true interest of our bodies, which otherwise will perish with the
11:16
soul. Sanctifying grace is not merely a gift of God, but God gives
11:20
us his spirit of one John four thirteen. The Holy Ghost penetrates us through
11:28
like fire. He is not in us merely like a ray of sunshine in
11:31
a room. In consequence of this supernatural beauty, the soul is enriched with
11:37
the friendship of God. Saint Mary Magdalen of Pasey says that if a man
11:41
in a state of sanctifying grace knew how pleasing his soul is to God,
11:45
he would die in excess of joy. We are, in consequence of the
11:48
sanctifying grace, no longer the servants of God, but his friends John fifteen
11:54
fifteen. The expression of friendship implies a certain likeness, and this elevation from
11:58
the state of sin to that a friendship of God is called justification. Council
12:03
Trent six four. Many people don't understand what justification actually means. So I
12:09
would invite, especially Protestants who may be listening to the show, to pull
12:15
up the documents from the Council of Trent, and you'll find what Christianity has
12:18
believe and taught for a very long time before Church was ever even dreamed of,
12:24
or regeneration as mentioned in John three five, Titus three four seven,
12:30
or the putting off of the old man and putting on of the New Ephesians
12:33
four twenty two examples. As soon as David and Paul and the prodigal son
12:37
repented. They received the Holy Ghost and the gift of sanctifying grace. Otherwise
12:41
they never would have accomplished their great sacrifice. David and Saul spent many days
12:46
in fasting and prayer, and the prodigal son faced the humiliation of returning to
12:50
his father's roof. It is quite certain that whoever has perfect contrition receives the
12:54
Holy Spirit even before contrition. Thus, the patriarchs and prophets had seen to
13:00
find grace in consequence to their penitential spirit and their belief in the Savior.
13:03
We know two that the Holy Spirit resides in some men before baptism, as
13:07
in the case of the centurion Cornelius and the people assembled in his house Acts
13:13
ten forty four point number two. Usually, however, the Holy Spirit makes
13:18
his entry on the reception of the sacraments of baptism or penance. The sinner,
13:22
under the action of holy ghosts begins to believe in God, to fear
13:26
in, to fear him, to hope in him, to love him,
13:28
and to bewail his sins, and finally to seek the means of grace and
13:31
the sacrament of baptism or penance, then only is his conversion perfect. An
13:37
actual experience goes to prove that baptism or general confession is in most sitters the
13:43
beginning of a new life. Even in children, their baptism is the beginning
13:46
of a new spiritual life. Point number three. When the Holy Spirit enters
13:50
into us, he brings with him a new spiritual life. God is the
13:54
God of life, and his presence diffuses life. His presence in our souls
13:58
is like the presence of the souls and our bodies. Our souls have a
14:03
natural life of their own, and by means of the intellect and will,
14:05
they learn to appreciate the true, the beautiful, the good. But this
14:09
natural life, compared with the life imparted by God is like a statue compared
14:13
to the living original, this divine life acquired by the soul. When the
14:18
Holy Spirit takes possession of the soul with his grace and enables the soul to
14:22
know, love and enjoy God, this is supernatural life. But just as
14:26
Elias and three Kings seventeen and Alicius and four Kings four restore dead children to
14:35
life by measuring their bodies over that of the child, mouth to mouth,
14:37
hand to hand member to member. So does God breathe the divine life into
14:41
us, giving us to see with his sight the works of his power.
14:46
And thus our soul is born and new. Thus is our soul born to
14:52
a new life first Peter one three and four. Grace is, in the
14:56
words of our Savior, a fountain of water springing in to everlasting, A
15:01
fountain of waters springing into life everlasting, John four fourteen. A heavenly seed.
15:07
It is sown in us, says Saint Peter Chrystal logic. Chris,
15:11
so I have trouble with that one, Chris Hologius. There we go,
15:16
destined to spring up to everlasting life. We are of a heavenly father,
15:20
and our father is thrown in heaven. See what heights his grace, See
15:24
what heists, See to what heists. Grace has raised thee. While our
15:30
bodies decay from day to day, our souls become daily more full of strength
15:33
of youth by virtue of grace, Sewod corinthiums. Four sixteen. Even in
15:39
our bodies, God's grace lays the germ of everlasting life. And if the
15:43
spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He
15:46
that raised up Jesus from the dead, shall quicken your mortal bodies, because
15:50
his spirit is because of his spirit that dwelleth within you Romans eight eleven.
15:56
The following are some of the effects of the Holy Spirit when he acts up
16:00
on us by his grace. One, he purifies us from all mortal sin.
16:03
As metals are purified by fire from their dross, so are our souls
16:08
cleansed from their sin when penetrated by the fire of the Holy Spirit. Sanctifying
16:12
grace and mortal sin are inco incompatible. The Holy Spirit dwells in all who
16:18
are free from mortal sin, and the evil spirit in those who are guilty
16:22
of mortal sin. Although the grace of God brings a cure to the soul
16:26
of man, it does not cure the body. In his flesh has left
16:30
the remains of sin or concupiscence. There's that word again. Thus, in
16:36
great Saints, even there remains the inclination of evil, against which must be
16:41
waged a lifelong struggle. Hence the words of Saint Paul, I know there
16:45
dwelleth not in me. I know that there dwelleth not in me. That
16:51
is to say, in my flesh, that which is good Romans seven eighteen.
16:56
Concupiscence, says in Augustine may be lessened in this life, but not
17:00
destroyed. It remains with us as an object lesson of the deadly effects of
17:07
sin, and to give occasion by our resistance to it, of gaining merit
17:11
in heaven. He that is the Holy Spirit, unites us to God.
17:15
It makes us temples of God. He who has the Holy Spirit is united
17:19
with Christ like the branches of the vine John fifteen point five. In the
17:22
words of Saint Gregory Nauseansen, our nature is united with God by the virtue
17:29
of the Holy Ghost. Like a drop of water poured into a measure of
17:33
wine, it acquires the color of the taste, a smell of the wine.
17:37
The Holy Spirit makes us sharers in the divine nature Second Peter one four.
17:41
By the action of the Holy Spirit, says Saint Thomas Aquinas, we
17:44
are transformed into God's very key points. Actually don't want to gloss over that
17:55
one. Protestants who say that the saints in heaven can't hear our don't realize
18:00
that through the Holy Spirit, the saints in heaven are transformed. Through sharing
18:07
the Divine nature of Christ into divine beings. They literally share in the divinity
18:17
of God, or, as Saint Thomas Aquinas would say, transformed into God's
18:22
You know, that's maybe not quite an elegant way of saying it, but
18:27
you know, that is the teaching of the Bible. And if we believe
18:32
that the Saints share in the nature of God, they not only can hear
18:34
our prayers, they share in God's mission of trying to bring a salvation.
18:40
They know where every thought, word, in action because they're omniscient, just
18:44
like God. There are no barriers between their world and ours, only our
18:49
limited sight the angels. The Saints share in the divinity of God, in
18:56
the mission of God, which is to save our soul. And Saint Maximus
19:02
said, the Godhead is conferred on us with grace another way of saying the
19:07
same things. Essentially, and as iron glows when heated in the fire,
19:11
so is man changed by the Holy Spirit into the Godhead. Saint Basil and
19:15
Saint Thomas Aquias. This has been the constant teaching of Christianity since Jesus Christ
19:21
himself said such words. Hence men are often called gods. You know,
19:30
Jesus said, if we eat of his body and drinking his blood. He
19:33
lives in us and we live in him. How can that be? How
19:37
can mortal man live in divinity and divinity live in man? Through the grace
19:45
of the Holy Spirit, there is far less division between the physical and spiritual
19:51
world than most people realize, and that again has been the constant teaching of
19:59
the Catholic Church, which Martin Luther and his life decided to call superstition and
20:03
try to tell people that, you know, Heaven is out there somewhere totally
20:07
separated from us, and to pray to a saint, was you know,
20:15
trafficking with spirits, you know, talking to ghosts? No, No,
20:19
Jesus self said, God is the God at the living, not the dead.
20:23
They're not ghosts. They're more alive than we are, and they know
20:27
a lot more, and they're there to help us, especially your guardian angel
20:33
if they're with you every moment of every day from your birth to your death,
20:37
when you will see him face to face. And I don't know about
20:41
you, but I got a lot of splaining to do. As they used
20:42
to say, all right, let's see, let's see. Yeah, we
20:48
said, his iron closed what he had in a fire, so is man
20:52
changed by the Holy Spirit into the Godhead. Hence men are often called God's
20:57
witch as John chapter six thirty four or psalms. Oh what is that I
21:03
x x X. I can't even remember. My brain's tired, too tired
21:10
to do Latin numerals right now Roman numerals. But in the Psalms, will
21:14
just go with that. Lucifer and the first Man wished to be as God,
21:19
but independently of him, God wills that we should strive to be as
21:22
he is. But in union with him, the presence of God, the
21:27
presence of the Holy Ghost, makes us temples of God. The Holy Spirit,
21:32
says Saint Augustine, dwells primarily in the soul and gives it its true
21:36
life. And since the soul is in the body and the Holy Ghost,
21:40
therefore dwells in the Holy Ghost, therefore dwells in our bodies. Saint Paul
21:47
insistent on this point, know ye not that you are the temple of God
21:51
and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. That's First Corinthians three sixteen.
21:56
You are the temple of the Living God, second Corinthian. In our Father,
22:00
we say in the our Father, we say our Father who are in
22:03
heaven. The heaven, says Saint Augustine, is the just man on earth
22:10
because God dwells in him. Let that sink in for a minute. We
22:14
say, our Father, who art in heaven. Where is heaven? Saint
22:17
Augustine says, it's in you. If you're a Christian in communion with the
22:23
Church, the Holy Spirit is within you. And if you commit mortal sin,
22:26
he'll leave, and you need to go a confession. You'll get him
22:29
back. Christ himself said that the Father and He would take up their abode
22:36
with the man who loves Christ John fourteen twenty three point number three. He
22:41
illumines the mind and makes the divine and moral precepts possible. He strengthens our
22:48
faculties of the intellect and will, just as a ray of sunlight passing through
22:52
a crystal turns into a massive light. More especially, does he give the
22:56
light of faith two Corinthians for six and kindle the fire of the divine love
23:00
Romans five point five. In short, he gives three theological virtues. That's
23:06
again going to the council trimp this in articles six and seven. He also
23:11
makes us able and willing to cooperate with the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.
23:15
That is, he gives us the seven gifts of the Holy ghosts. Just
23:18
as iron softens in the fire, so the soul of man under the influence
23:22
of the Holy Spirit is inclined to good works. This we see exemplify exemplified
23:27
in Saint Paul, for hardly had the Holy Ghost act upon him when he
23:30
asks, Lord, what wilt thou that I do? X Nine six.
23:37
Through his inclination of the will towards what is good, the moral virtues are
23:41
present as possibilities practices all that is required to make them facts. Thus the
23:47
whole spiritual life has changed, and we see how far apart the inner life
23:52
of a saint and that of a worldling. The latter thinks only of his
23:55
own satisfaction, eating, drinking, the precutions, pursuit of ambition, and
23:59
pleasure. In short, he loves the world. The man in whom the
24:02
Holy Spirit dwells, directs his thought for the most part to God and tries
24:06
to please him. That is, he loves God. He can say it
24:08
with Saint Paul, I live now not in eye, but Christ liveth in
24:12
me. Such a man despises the things of this world and whatever be his
24:18
sufferings, he enjoys peace from within, an unspeakable consolation. For the Holy
24:22
Ghost is the comforter John fourteen twenty six point four. He gives us true
24:26
peace. Through him, man acquires the peace which surpasses all understanding Philippians four
24:33
seven. The man who has the light of the Holy Ghost in him is
24:37
like a traveler performing his journey in sunshine and fair weather. Quite otherwise is
24:41
the case of him whom that light is cut off by clouds of sin.
24:45
He is like the unwilling traveler, forced to make his way through wind and
24:49
storm. Point five. He becomes our teacher and our guide. He instructs
24:53
us in the teachings of the Catholic Church. The unction which we have received
24:57
from him teaches a us of all things first John two twenty seven. Notice
25:03
the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. It's not give us a new and
25:08
unique interpretation of the Bible. And there's nothing in early Christianity. There's nothing
25:14
until Martin Luther comes along again, where someone says, oh, I can
25:18
read the Bible for myself, and guided by the Holy Spirit, I'll come
25:22
up with a whole new doctrine. That what the Catholic Church has taught for
25:25
the last fifteen hundred years. That was guaranteed by Christ. No, there's
25:29
only one truth, one true teaching, and that is guaranteed by Jesus.
25:36
And he said, those who hear you hear me. Those who reject you
25:37
reject Him who sent me, et cetera, et cetera. That is the
25:42
teaching of the Catholic Church. The teaching of the Catholic Church includes the Bible.
25:48
The Bible, the Word of God was a symbol put together edited the
25:52
Gospels written by the apostles. The Bible is a work of the Catholic Church.
25:57
Therefore, if someone says the Holy Spirit told him something that's different than
26:02
Catholic teaching, that was not the Holy Spirit that told him that. It
26:04
was his own ego or a demon one way or the other, or just
26:10
pure error. You know. People just sometimes make innocent mistakes. But if
26:12
they will not submit to the teachers of the Catholic Church, they're outside of
26:18
the Catholic Church, and the Holy Spirit will then flee from them because they're
26:23
in a state of moral sin. If they hold themselves up to be a
26:26
higher authority than that is established by God, they're essentially worshiping themselves as an
26:32
idol. Whoever has not the Holy Ghost may indeed study the truth of the
26:36
Christian religion, but their significance escapes him. It is unfruitful knowledge. That's
26:41
exactly what I just said. And once again Father Spiago said it better than
26:45
I could. Just as a book cannot be read in the dark without the
26:51
help of a light, so the word of God is unintelligible without the light
26:55
of the Holy ghosts. Though it is quite true that whatever the Holy Ghost
26:59
imparts to us free from error, yet we require to be certain that what
27:03
we have received is indeed imparted by the Holy Spirit. Hence, no matter
27:07
what a man's lights may be, he must keep fast hold to the teachings
27:11
of the Catholic Church. And whoever fails to do this has not the Holy
27:15
Spirit in him. Reference First John for six. The Bible itself says that
27:22
the Holy Ghost is our guide, leading us, says Saint Louis of Grenada,
27:26
as a father who leads his child by the hand of our difficult path.
27:30
Those who are in the grace of God are led in a special matter.
27:33
Such can say, no longer do I live, but Christ lives in
27:37
me. It is in this matter that the just had the Kingdom of God
27:40
within them Luke, seventeen twenty one, zero point six. He inspires us
27:45
to do good works and makes him meritorious for us in the Kingdom of Heaven.
27:49
This is what Martin Luther didn't like. Just as the Holy Spirit brooded
27:56
over the waters of the deep and created plants, animals, and men,
28:00
two does he over the souls of men, bringing forth fruits. There are
28:03
the last forever. As the flower expands when touched by the sun, so
28:07
the heart of the most hardened center expands by the grace of the Holy Spirit
28:14
and breathes out the perfume of virtue and piety. The Holy Ghost is ever
28:18
active, like fire and always inciting good works. As the wind keeps the
28:23
windmill ever in motion, so the Holy Spirit is ever moving the heart of
28:27
man, and he makes our actions meritorious. As the soul raises our ordinary
28:33
and merely animal co operations to the level of rational and intellectual acts, so
28:38
does the Holy Ghost elevate the souls. So the Holy Ghost elevates the acts
28:45
of our souls to supernatural, to a supernatural and divine plane. The Holy
28:49
Ghost is as it were the gardener of our souls. A gardener grafts a
28:55
good branch to an uncultivated stock, which brings for sweet fruit he placed in
29:00
place of its former sour and poor fruit. So the holy ghosts in grafts
29:04
upon us a branch from Christ the tree of life, and we bear no
29:10
longer are merely natural fruit, but supernatural. When we are in a state
29:12
of grace, we are the branches united with the vine Jesus Christ, with
29:17
the vine in Jesus Christ. Good works done in a state of mortal sin
29:21
obtain for us only actual graces to help us toward our conversion. In other
29:26
words, to be in a state of mortal sin, your good works don't
29:30
merit you eternal reward. They can only help you move yourself toward conversion,
29:37
soften your heart, you know, through acts of charity. Only in a
29:41
state of grace, meaning to be in communion with the Catholic Church, not
29:44
in a state of mortal sin, do good works actually merit eternal reward.
29:52
That's Martin Luther had a big problem with that and told people they could follow
29:57
their sinful disares and not do anything for their neighbors. That's been an issue
30:04
with Protestantism from the very day one. And when I was at a certain
30:08
Southern Baptist university, they said, well, oh, if you're a Christian,
30:11
you'll do good. So what if you're a Christian you don't do good,
30:15
well, then maybe you're not really a Christian. I said, that's
30:17
my point point number seven. He makes us children of God and heirrs of
30:23
heaven. When the Holy Ghost enters our souls, it is with us as
30:29
with Christ at his baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended upon him, God
30:33
the Father receives at his baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
30:38
God the Father receives us as his well beloved children, and the heavens are
30:42
open to us. We no longer have a spirit of slavery, but the
30:45
spirit of adoption of sons, and whereby we cry Abba Father, Romans eight
30:52
fifteen. All who are led by the spirit of God are the sons of
30:55
God. Roman eight fourteen. If we are the sons of God, we
30:57
are also heirs, as indeed of God, joint heirs with Christ. Romans
31:02
eight seventeen. For children have a claim to the inherans of to the heritags
31:07
of their parents. We know if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved,
31:14
that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands,
31:17
eternal in heaven Tewod Corinthians five to one. The Holy Spirit will remain
31:22
with us forever. John fourteen sixteen. It is the highest nobility. Such
31:29
is man's privilege when he is in a state of grace, But like an
31:32
uncut diamond, all glory of his soul is not yet visible. Well,
31:36
might David cry out, be glad, Lord, and rejoice you Just that
31:40
was Psalms. I don't know thirty one eleven. I'm thinking he who has
31:44
the Holy Spirit has the greatest of kingdoms, the kingdom of God himself.
31:48
Luke seventeen twenty one. Alas that so many men should neglect this their privilege,
31:53
and give themselves up to the lust of their flesh, the food of
31:56
worms. Let's see, we got three more main points are pretty great brief.
32:05
I know this was getting a little long, but I think I can
32:07
wrap this up. Okay, So under his main points number four, sanctifying
32:12
grace is secured and increased by doing good works and using the means of grace
32:16
offered by the church. It is lost by a single mortal sin. It's
32:21
a very important point, seeing, for instance, Martin Luther had been some
32:29
just amazing divine inspiration given him by the Holy Spirit. The minute he violated
32:35
his vows, which you know, it's taking an oath is before God,
32:40
he committed mortal sin. The minute he rejected the authority of the pope and
32:45
the church, he committed a moral sin. He committed a lot of mortal
32:47
sins. Actually, so even if he had once had some slight inspiration,
32:54
the Holy Ghost is lost by committing one single mortal sin. He can only
33:00
be regained them by going to confession or true contrition, which he never showed.
33:05
He showed pridefulness and arrogance. But anyway, and I'm sure I've done
33:09
many things to Hi, I'm not trying to be self righteous here. Yeah.
33:13
I go to confession as often as I can, and I need to
33:15
go here the next couple of days. That's something we all need to go
33:22
to confession, and that's really very very important. And by taking away the
33:28
role of the priesthood, Martin Luther cut himself off from the ability to go
33:31
to confession, and through his arrogance, made sure he could not attain true
33:39
contrition and led millions and millions of people astray, which is actually a worse
33:45
send than committing an actual sin yourself. So sanctifying fine grace can always be
33:52
increased in the soul he that is just, letting me be justified still,
33:54
and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. That's revelation what
34:00
twenty two eleven I think, or Apocalypse of John. As it says here,
34:05
by good works, the sanctifying grace which we have received may be confirmed
34:08
and increased in us again Council Trent. Thus, for example, Saint Stephen
34:13
was a man full of the Holy Spirit. Acts sixteen five. Stones and
34:17
weeds prevent the sun from reaching the earth and giving it increase. So do
34:22
our sins hinder the Holy ghosts from acting on our souls. Hints they must
34:28
be removed by the sacraments of confession and communion. And as the soil must
34:32
be prepared, so our souls must be nourished with the teachings of Christ in
34:36
order to receive the action of the Holy ghosts. This was the case even
34:39
with the Apostles. One mortal sin is enough to rob us as sanctifying grace.
34:45
See this is deprived of the doctor of once Saved, always Saved is
34:49
not biblical, it's not in keeping with the teachings of the Church from day
34:53
one to now, and it actually doesn't make any logical sense. God never
34:59
deserves him. Maybe to restate that one mortal sin is enough to rob us
35:05
of sanctifying grace, For it is by mortal sin only that the soul is
35:09
separated entirely from God. God never deserts him who has once been sanctified by
35:15
his grace, unless he himself be first deserted. Hence, the warning of
35:20
the apostles is extinguished, not the spirit. For Thessalonians five nineteen, if
35:27
you could not lose salvation, how could you extinguish the spirit in the instance
35:31
of committing mortal sin. Storm clouds arise between God and the Son of Justice
35:37
and our souls, the brightness of which is at once distinguished with the departure
35:40
of the Holy ghosts or united, the darkening of the understanding and the weakening
35:45
of the will. When the sun goes down, says Luis of Granada,
35:49
the eye is darkened and can no longer make out objects. So when the
35:52
light of the Holy ghost is taken from the soul, it is filled with
35:57
darkness and loses the knowledge of the truth. Whoever has lost sanctifying grace can
36:01
recover it by means of the sacrifice of penance, but not without an earnest
36:06
effort, for the wicked spirit has entered into such a man and has taken
36:09
with him seven more spirits, more wicked than himself. That's Matthew ten I
36:15
mean twelve twelve forty five. Again, once saved, always said Matthew.
36:21
It says that a person who is saved can lose their salvation and evil spirit
36:27
center into them. It is impossible for those who are once illuminated and are
36:31
fallen away to be renewed against penance. Hebrews six fourth through six zero point
36:38
five. He who has not sanctifying grace is spiritually dead and will suffer eternal
36:44
Ruin say that Gustin says, as the body without the soul is dead,
36:47
so the soul without the grace of the Holy Spirit is dead. For heaven.
36:52
He who has not the Holy ghost sits in darkness and in the shadow
36:54
of death Luke one seventy nine. He cannot understand the things of the spirit,
36:59
for they are to him foolishness. One Corinthians two fourteen. He who
37:02
has not on the wedding garment that is sanctifying grace is cast into the outer
37:08
darkness Matthew twenty two twelve. Remember Jesus said people could only call him Lord
37:15
through the power of the Holy Spirit. And then he says, not all
37:20
who say Lord Lord will be saved. You can lose salvation. That's why
37:25
we have reconciliation. And your entire religion only makes sense given to that light.
37:31
You have to really turn yourself inside out if you believe in once saved,
37:36
always saved. It's not biblical, it's not logical. And as the
37:40
branch which is not united to the vine, withers and is cast in the
37:44
fire another analogy. Our Lord made so is cast off who do not remain
37:49
in Christ by His grace. John fifteen six. If any man have not
37:52
the spirit of Christ, he is not of Christ Romans eight nine point number
37:58
six. And I believe this is the final It is no one knows for
38:01
certain whether he have sanctifying grace or will receive it at the hour of his
38:07
death. Protests make a big deal of justification, saying you know you're saved
38:15
well, not necessarily. Man knows not whether he is worthy of love or
38:19
hatred Ecclesiastes nine to one. Even Saint Paul says of himself, I am
38:24
not conscious to myself of anything, yet I am not hereby justified. Let
38:30
me see if I can say a little more clearly, I am not conscious
38:34
to myself of anything, yet I am not hereby justified First Corinthians four four.
38:42
If Saint Paul didn't see himself justified, why do Southern Baptists keep saying
38:47
that they know they're saved. No, No, Saint Paul didn't. Solomon
38:53
even became an idolator before his death. Now there's one. He lost his
38:58
salvation. The Bible says, you know he got it back through contrition,
39:01
But for a time he was lost. And Saint Bernard warns us, even
39:07
if a man hath the light of grace and the love of God, let
39:10
him remember that he is still under an open sky and not in the house,
39:14
and that a breeze may put out his holy light forever. We carry
39:19
our treasure in earthen vessels tewod Corinthians four seven. Pottery vesseble can break,
39:25
obviously, and in the words of this is another hard one to say.
39:30
Theophilact our hearts are like earthen vessels, easily broken to spill the water in
39:37
them. So may the Holy Spirit be lost by one sin no ononders.
39:42
Saint Paul warns us work out your salvation in fear and trembling. If once
39:45
saved, always saved is true, if you know justification and blessed assurance.
39:52
This is what I always say. Why was Saint Paul's telling us to work
39:55
out our salvation in fear and trembling? In Philippians to twelve. We may
40:00
indeed have confidence that we are in the grace of God, but without a
40:04
special revelation we cannot have absolutely absolute certainty Council Trent six six. It may
40:10
be surmised from the work which a man does that he is in the grace
40:15
of God. For an evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit Matthew seven eighteen.
40:22
So we'll wrap it up there for today. Tomorrow we'll get into the
40:25
seven gifts of the Holy Ghost and extraordinary graces. Very interesting chapter, but
40:31
you know there's a lot in this Think about it, meditate or pray about
40:37
it, go to confession. That's what I'm going to be doing tomorrow morning,
40:45
if at all possible, and if not, on Thursday, because of
40:49
those are my options. Yeah, you can absolutely pick something up and then
40:55
drop it again. You can lose anything that's given to you, you know,
41:00
just as the prodigal Sign lost his inheritance, squandered it, came back
41:07
and was forgiven. We do same every time we got a confession to reconciliation.
41:13
We get to sit before a priest confess our sins. The priest is
41:17
in the person of Christ. He's given the authority of Christ Christ to give
41:22
us the sacrament of reconciliation, which means we're literally standing there before Jesus who
41:28
is forgiving our sins. That's actually the greatest honor next to the Eucharist,
41:34
that one could possibly imagine. So anyway, y'all, in the words of
41:37
Saint Padre Pierre, pray, hope, and don't worry. I'll talk with
41:40
you tomorrow.