The IHOP in my city
On Sunday I slept in so I couldn’t go to the 7:15 am Low Mass at my Church. Instead I went to the 12:30 High Mass. It’s nice going to a High Mass every now and then. It’s nice hearing the choir, smelling incense and seeing people that don’t go to the Low Mass.
After Mass, I noticed a group of people that I had not expected to see. I went over, talked to them, then we all agreed to go to IHOP(Yes, we have these in Canada). On the way to IHOP, I had a good discussion with someone who I was driving. We discussed a lot of Protestant-Catholic issues such as the Council of Trent and the five Reformation Solas.
Catholics will often tell Protestants that they believe in three of the five Solas. The two that we don’t believe in are of course Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. One of the five is Sola Gratia which translates to grace alone. Most Catholics don’t seem to have a problem with this terminology. After all, it’s one of the three Solas that most Catholics have no problem with.
I actually do have a problem with Sola Gratia. As a Catholic, I am bound to believe in the grace of God in the salvation of souls. There is absolutely no debate on that. Catholic doctrines of grace were first clearly expounded by St. Augustine of Hippo. They were later put into effect at the Council of Orange in 529 AD while the conflict with the Semi-Pelagians was climaxing. A thousand years later, these same ideas were repeated at the Council of Trent in the 16th Century. This time it was addressing the theology of Luther and Calvin.
Do I as a Catholic believe in Sola Gratia? I will simply say that this is foreign terminology and I refuse to use it. The Catholic Church doesn’t use this phrase in any of her official documents. To my knowledge, no Catholic Saints have used this wording either. It would be like Justin Trudeau meeting with Donald Trump and having the entire meeting in Romanian. Romanian is not the official language of either country and neither Trump nor Trudeau speak it.
If one wonders what I think about grace I’m more than happy to share the canons from Session 6 of the Council of Trent. The first three canons deal with the topic of grace in a very explicit manner.
CANON I.-If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.
CANON II.-If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.
CANON III.-If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema.
So do I believe in Sola Gratia? My answer is that I believe in the grace of God in the salvation of man defined in Session 6 of the Council of Trent. As a Catholic, I won’t use Protestant terminology anymore than Trudeau and Trump will speak Romanian when they meet.
Unfortunately this discussion ended in the car and wasn’t discussed anymore once we arrived at IHOP. I did however encourage my Church friends to read the writings of Joseph de Maistre. Fun times.
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