Chapters II and III, Catholic and Protestant Justification

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The root of the Protestant revolt was based upon the Protestant redefinition of the means and nature of the justification of man through the action of Christ. Chapters II and III of this book essentially compare 1,500 years of Catholic thought on this aspect of our faith with the novelties of the English protesters.

In a sentence: The Catholic position is that as adopted sons and daughters of Christ we are made clean by the merits of Christ's Passion. Assuming that we cooperate with this opus operatum of the Church which we spoke of earlier in the order of grace... our souls can become clean... particularly if we persist in this quest for a divine life in Jesus Christ. This is true for any and all of us no mater what provided we pursue a state of grace with faculty of reason! Without faculty of reason the discussion changes slightly but that is really a separate issue beyond our historical inquiry here. The revolter's position is that our souls are ALWAYS as black as pitch no matter how closely we follow the Savior. Christ's merits COVER up our blackness... but they are incapable of BLOTTING OUT our sin. "Works are dead" shouts the Protestant Rebellion.

In contrast, we Catholics know that OneNess is not achieved without cooperation.

Davies points to a fable which best captures the truth about sanctifying grace by analogy:
There was a fable about a common briar "into which was budded the stem of a royal rose. When June came, it bore fragrant roses of great beauty and, passing by, the gardener smiled and said: 'Your beauty is not due, dear briar, to that which came from you but to that which I put in you'."

The adoption that Saint Paul speaks about in the epistles is so much more than adoption. It is more like a grafting as it were... for we become PART of the DIVINE Life. This is what holiness is. The Protestant demands that NO ONE can become holy except God Himself who IS Holy. The notion of growing in personal holiness is totally rejected. This explains their hatred for the Mass.

"For a Protestant, justification means declaring a man just: for a Catholic it means making him so" (p. 19). Luther overthrew a system of belief developed over fifteen centuries on the basis of his personal interpretation of Romans 1:17. Luther tells us "we must give up trying to escape sin" writes Henri Rondet.

Grace for the reformer was external to a man... not something which God could put INSIDE a man.

The natural consequences of these novelties was unimaginable in a world which was largely Christianized already. The effects were devastating as we shall soon see.

On page 21 we see that the reformer was already saying... (I paraphrase here) no need to destroy the pope... just destroy the Mass and you will rip the heart out of the Catholic Church.

And The Word Became Flesh...

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Et incarnatus est! "And the Word became flesh...". These true words should be enough for us... but unfortunately, due to sin... they are not enough for us.

All of the miracles that Our Lord performs for us in the Gospels have one astonishing thing in common: Our Lord in them, REQUIRES the cooperation of man when He performs the miracle. This is a great and incomprehensible miracle in and of itself. I'm reminded of something Mother Angleica used to say when asked about the absurd reality of the success of her endeavor to create a Catholic television and radio network with no budget, no business plan, no cooperation from most of the American hierarchy and no advanced degree. She would say "If we wish for God to do the miraculous... we must be willing to do the ridiculous". It may seem ridiculous for the blind man to have mud put on his eyelids and to be told to stagger across town to the Pool of Siloam... nevertheless, our Lord willed it.

He could have made it otherwise... but He didn't. This cooperation is at the very heart of what it means to be a Catholic. This is also at the very center of the dispute that Protestantism attempts to advance... namely the error of "justification by faith alone". The Protestant sees the passion as fixed in time. The Catholic knows that the passion is played out daily, lives on until the end of time, has always had merit for those that assist at Mass in a state of grace. To use the authors own words: "The Catholic conception of the Christian religion can be aptly described as 'incarnational'. Christ's means of applying the merits of His Passion is to continue the Incarnation throughout time until he comes again" (P7, Ch1).

God could have chosen some other means, besides cooperation with grace through Mary. But He DIDN'T! As Davies tells us, "Mary's fiat sets in motion a train of events..." Non Modernist Protestants and Catholics agree on the historical reality and the sufficiency of merit obtained via the crucifixion. But we disagree upon the dispensation of those graces... and upon the perpetual nature of the re-presentation of that reality. We disagree on the requirement of cooperation. It is one of the reasons that Mary presents such a psychological and spiritual problem for the revolter.

The Church maintains that there is an 'opus operatum' in the system of the seven sacraments when administered validly.

Sacred scripture is clear that the same Eucharist which is a blessing to the man in a state of grace can be a curse to the man who is knowingly not. How can this be unless there is indeed an opus operatum. The book has an excellent appendix which describes the opus operatum. It is worth getting the book for that simple appendix alone.

On to chapter two. I may add or tweak each as these summaries as I go, as family or friends discover omissions or errors. Check back if you wish. But I plan to move ahead. I have been given much to think about here... and I will be reading the offertory prayers more closely this Sunday in my old beat up but much loved 1957 Saint Joseph's Daily Missal.

Accept, O Holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, your unworthy servant, offer to You, my living and true God, to atone for my numberless sins, offenses and negligences; on behalf of all here present and likewise for all faithful Christians living and dead, that it may profit me and them as a means of salvation to life everlasting...

We offer You, O Lord, the chalice of salvation, humbly begging of Your mercy that it may arise before Your divine Majesty, with a pleasing fragrance, for our salvation and for that of the whole world...

In a humble spirit and with a contrite heart, may we be accepted by You, O Lord, and may our sacrifice so be offered in Your sight this day as to please You, O Lord God... Come, O Sanctifier, Almighty and Eternal God, and bless, + this sacrifice prepared for the glory of Your holy Name.

After this and after the Lavabo (the washing of the hands) the priest says:

Accept, most holy Trinity, this offering which we are making to You in remembrance of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, our Lord; and in honor Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of these, and of all the Saints; that it may add to their honor and aid our salvation...

And in the consecration itself we read: In like manner, when the supper was done, taking also this goodly chalice into His holy and venerable hands, again giving thanks to You, He blessed + it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: All of you take and drink of this: for this is the Chalice of my Blood of the new and eternal covenant: the mystery of faith: which shall be shed for you and for many unto the forgiveness of sins.

Make it a wonderful weekend. And remember... this is the last Sunday of Post Epiphany... so SAVOR that Alleluia.

Alleluia

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let all the isles be glad!

And... NO... this is not me singing (I wish). This is credited to CC Watershed's ReneGoupil website... which has all the chants for the Novus Ordo and Tridentine Rite.

You won't hear Alleluia sung again until you hear the Easter Alleluia. Perhaps I'll post that Alleluia so you can hear it when the time comes if I'm still blogging.

IJM Pascendi

Cranmer's Godly Order, by Michael Davies

What is Coming Next

Tomorrow, I plan to list the names of the 16 Chapters of this book I'm reading which is entitled "Liturgical Revolution, Volume I": or "Cranmer's Godly Order". I will also give you a brief introduction to who Cranmer was and why he was so influential a person during the protestant liturgical revolt or the so called "Reformation".

I can tell you that as an Irish Catholic... I have found these chapters interesting and at the same time... I have felt my blood boil. You will see why soon.

Brief Disclaimer

Because the Mass is so close to the heart of every Catholic it can be a sensitive subject. Our own individual likes and dislikes regarding the Mass are often views held with such personal fervor... that it becomes difficult to speak about the Most Holy Sacrifice unemotionally. Also... it is not uncommon for folks to believe that their ideal or some other ideal is the most 'catholic' or universal ideal. But all these impulses are just opinion and a matter of taste. I'm not interested in opinions or tastes here. I'm only interested in what the Church documents ask of us regarding the Mass. I'm interested in an authentic implementation of Vatican II and in the Mass which is so often talked about by all of our great popes... and most especially the present pontiff.

So with that... I'm hereby stating that I have full trust and confidence in the present magisterium to teach and guide. I may not always understand every little practical detail that comes up in "this public ritual" or "that public Mass"... or "this small document" or that "big letter from some group of bishops"... but my intent is always full obedience and communion with Rome and with my own bishop as far as is humanly possible and canonically required of me as a layman.

vty Pascendi