Sola Fides vs Salve Gratias: Saved By Grace! Part 1

JMJ

Protestants believe that we are saved by Faith Alone (Sola Fides), even though the 'alone' part was added by Luther.

What do Catholics believe?

I had heard Steve Wood of Family Life International mention (https://www.dads.org), in response to Protestants, that we are saved by Grace and I realized that I didn't know enough about this topic. So I dusted of my electronic copy of Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma writtne by Ludwig Ott and dove into a study.

All quotes are from Ott's discussion on the Salvation

So I can now report that, yes the correct Catholic answer is that we are saved by Grace and the core seems to be the following:

The source of the Subjective Redemption is the Triune God.

Since however, the communication of grace is a work of the Divine Love, it is “appropriated" to the Holy Ghost, i.e., to the Personal Divine Love.
Nevertheless it is effected by the Three Persons in common.
The Subjective Redemption, however, is not the work of God alone.
By reason of the fact that God has endowed human nature with reason and free will, Justification requires the free cooperation of men (D 799).
The unfathomable mystery of the doctrine of grace lies in this intimate mutual co-operation of Divine power and human freedom.
The final object of the Subjective Redemption is the Beatific Vision.

The causal chain of salvation is founded on the Vicarious Atonement made by Our Lord Jesus Christ in His death on the cross. As stated above the subjective redemption is not the work of God alone, as there is the mutual cooperation in the act due to our free-will.

So yes, we are not saved by Faith Alone as the protestants want to believe, but at the core by the Grace provided by God and our cooperation with that Grace.

I get the sense that I've just touched the surface of this topic and will do a follow-up article when time allows.

The full map is attached below.

P^3

Comments

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

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