As grace is necessary for the beginnings of faith, and even for the pious affection toward believing, so it is needed to make our good works deserving of a supernatural reward. Grace is needed even for the just to avoid sin. Final perseverance is a special privilege of dying in the state of grace. Apart from a special revelation, no one can know that he will re ceive this blessing. Without grace, however, it is possible to resist less urgent temptations and perform acts that have natural goodness; hence all works done before justification are not sins. According to Catholic doctrine, actual grace is a rear influence exerted by the Holy Ghost upon the soul, but it does not destroy the free-will of man. A grace may be fully sufficient for a supernaturally good act, but if a man refuse to act with it, the grace will not be efficacious. God will not save us without our co-operation. See GRACE OF GOD.
Actual graces aid us to obtain habitual or sanctifying grace, that is, to be justified by the remission of original sin or of grievous actual sin. This sanctifying grace makes us like unto Christ, holy and supernaturally pleasing to God, and brings with it the infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost (q.v.). There are many grades of habitual grace; it may be in creased by good works, and on the other hand may be entirely lost by mortal sin. God in His mercy offers to man supernatural happiness and makes this offer known by the pfeachtng of His Church, which he accompanies by an in terior stirring grace. When a man co-operates with this grace, he believes the truth with absolute certainty and is moved by the thought of God's love; he sees reasons to fear God's justice and throws himself on God's mercy, trusting in the merits of Christ; hence he con ceives a love of God and a detestation of sin. Thus by the working of grace and the co operation of man's free will, the way is pre pared for justification; and, provided that man puts no obstacle, the Holy Ghost works this justification by infusing charity into his soul, thereby destroying sin. Thus purified, he enters on a virtuous life, hoping by the merits of Christ to enter heaven, but he has no absolute certainty of his salvation. • In the process of justification, the first grace cannot be merited at all; for no supernatural reward is due to natural acts. With the aid of grace both sinners . and just can merit further actual grace, but only congruously and not with any strict right in justice. The just, that is, those in a state of grace, can merit final perseverance congruously, and, because of God's promises, can merit in justice the in crease of habitual grace, eternal life and in crease of glory. By mortal sin, all merit is lost.
As a means of justification Christ has en trusted to His Church seven Sacraments (q.v.), or sensible rites, instituted by Him to effect in the soul the grace which they signify. When the necessary conditions are placed, the Sacra ment works by its own efficacy and not through the piety of the minister nor of the recipient. The Sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Baptism and Penance remit sin; the others cannot lawfully be received in mortal sin. Baptism, Confirma tion and Holy Orders can be received only once, because they imprint on the soul an inef faceable mark, called the sacramental character. All the Sacraments, if properly received, give sanctifying grace or increase it, if already in the soul. Since the promulgation of the Gos pel, justification cannot be obtained without Baptism of water, which blots out original sin and all actual sin. Infants who die without Baptism cannot enjoy the supernatural vision of God. In adults, when Baptism of water cannot be received, pardon of sin can be ob tained by the baptism of desire, which consists in a perfect love of God and a sorrow for sin, including, at least implicitly, the desire of the Sacrament. Remission of sin is also granted to all who suffer martyrdom for Christ. Sins committed after Baptism are remitted by the Sacrament of Penance (q.v.), in which the sinner confesses with contrition all his mortal sins to the duly authorized priests of the Church, from whom he receives absolution. Sins are also remitted by perfect contrition, but the obligation of Divine Law requires that even then, if possible, they must be confessed. Penance pardons the guilt of sins confessed and repented of, infuses or increases sanctify ing grace, remits eternal punishment, if it was due, secures actual graces to avoid sin in future, and may also remit, wholly or in part, the temporal punishment still to be undergone for sins the guilt of which has been pardoned. The whole punishment is not always remitted with the fault; for the remaining debt satis faction is made to God by sufferings patiently borne or voluntarily inflicted. For this purpose also the Church has the power of granting indulgences which are not a remission of sin, much less a permission to commit sin, but the remission of the whole or part of the temporal punishment which may be due for sins, after the guilt has been pardoned. See IrinumaxcE.