Clarifying the reason why there is a need for us to be in a state of grace.

I believe that as a pastor of souls, there are quite a few things about our Catholic life that are utterly important but need addressing and understood clearly.  One of these is this thing called the ‘state of grace’ which is something that the average Catholic isn’t very clear about. There could be many different reasons this is the case, but one of the more disturbing ones could be that this isn’t addressed as a point of catechesis in both our children and maybe even in adults who are in the RCIA process.  I am sure that it is implied or inferred, albeit in passing, but isn’t given the emphasis that it rightly deserves.  The consequence of this is a paltry appreciation of what this does to the Catholic who lives out his faith life, and the more important corollary, how it affects the way he or she lives in the world.

 

Pope Francis goes for Confession regularly - he knows that he can only function optimally when he is in a state of grace.

Simply put, being in a ‘state of grace’ is when one is conscious that one has no serious or mortal sin on one’s soul.  Whenever one emerges from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one is given Sanctifying Grace, and is therefore restored to that state that one had at the point of baptism.  In effect, what sin (especially serious sin) does, is it puts up a wall or a barrier (metaphorical language, of course), between oneself and God, insulating one, as it were, from God’s love and grace.  Mortal sin injures the closely knit relationship that God wants to have with each person.  It is not that God has turned the person away from his love.  Rather, it is the person who has, through that sin, turned away from God’s love, which is the cause of all that exists.  When one is in a state of grace, one is also said to be in communion with God, and in a love relationship with God.  It is for this reason that one is also in a state that is ready to ‘receive Holy Communion’, because it actualizes and celebrates what one is already experiencing in a supernatural level.  

Hence, it is also the very reason that when a person is not in a state of grace, and without having gone to have one’s state of Sanctifying Grace restored in Confession, goes up at Mass to receive Holy Communion, the person in effect commits one more mortal sin that puts up an even greater barrier or wall between God’s love and the person.  It is called the Sin of Presumption, where one has presumed that God has forgiven (or isn’t bothered at all) about the sin that had first broken the relationship with God.  

In giving us the freedom that none of us deserves, God has also given us the power to break or to maintain this love relationship with him.  He has, as it were, handed over to us the keys to either living out a life of constant communion with him, or refusing to do this. Only a God who cherishes a freely returned love would do this.  When we understand this well, we will not want to abuse the freedom and the trust that God has given to us, his beloved children.  In the story of the prodigal son (actually also rightly called the story of the prodigal father), both the sons had abused the freedom, albeit in different ways. 

As a confessor priest, I hear a slew of sins that people confess, and in many of my penitents, I do see a great desire to be in the state of grace.  Some of them are so careful about being in a state of grace that they come sedulously to confess their sins.  While this is noble and good, I am left wondering if this is the only thing that matters to them – just making sure that they are in a state of grace. If it is their chief concern in life as a Christian, they may well be missing a very big picture of the Christian life.

The Christian life is one that requires of us to give of ourselves over to others in different ways.  We do this by being participative in the community, being active in ministry, sharing of our gifts and talents which are God-given, loving those who are challenging to love, and being keen in living with heroic virtue.  No one is given a pass where these are concerned.  

These are all truly very difficult to do when in a state of sin, but one becomes especially motivated to live them out when in a state of grace.  This state of grace therefore is never to be seen as an end in itself, but really, a means to an end.  What is our end?  It is to be another Christ to the world that is craning its neck to see God alive and active in the world.  If the only thing that we are concerned is about being and remaining in a state of grace (for ourselves), and are unwilling or refusing to let this state bring us to give of ourselves in disinterested love to others and to the world, we may be missing a huge piece of the puzzle called the Christian Life.

Should we be concerned that we are in a state of grace as much as possible? Certainly.  Losing that state is indeed tragic.  But let us open our eyes to the tragedy of just keeping a house clean for its own sake, because Jesus does say that when the demon returns to find the house swept clean, it will bring seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in to dwell there, leaving the man worse off than he was before.  And that would be a worse tragedy.