Actual grace is defined in Catholic theology as a supernatural help from God that enables a person to perform salutary acts that lead to sanctification and salvation. It is a free and undeserved gift from God to enable a person to do good and avoid evil.
The Bible teaches that humans are sinful by nature after the fall, and no one can save themselves by their own merits (Romans 3:23). We are dependent on God’s grace to overcome sin and do what is pleasing to Him. Actual grace is this enabling power of God that allows people to respond positively to His call.
Actual grace can be understood in contrast to sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a person’s soul that makes them righteous and holy before God. It is a habitual gift that abides in the soul. Actual grace, on the other hand, refers to the transient help from God for specific actions needed in the moment. It assists people in avoiding sin and doing good in particular circumstances (CCC 2000).
The Bible affirms this understanding of actual grace in several ways:
1. God enables people to believe in Jesus and be saved
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is completely a work of God’s grace. He enables the response of faith.
2. God’s grace equips people for service
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). God strengthens people by His grace to serve Him.
3. God’s strength is sufficient in weakness
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God’s grace empowers the weak.
4. God enables people to suffer for Him
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should…suffer” (Philippians 1:29). Enduring suffering requires divine help.
5. God helps believers overcome sin
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions…but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Romans 6:12-13). Victory over sin is by God’s grace.
These and other verses affirm that God assists people to live in a way that pleases Him. This gracious help is actual grace. Without it, overcoming sin and doing good would be impossible.
Sources of Actual Grace
Where does actual grace come from? How do people obtain this divine assistance? There are several channels by which people can receive actual graces from God:
1. The Sacraments
The sacraments are powerful channels for obtaining actual grace. They were instituted by Christ to confer grace on souls. The Catechism states, “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131). Each sacrament imparts proper graces to the recipient to help them on the path of holiness.
2. Prayer
Humble prayer opens the soul to receive strength from God for specific needs. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Through earnest prayer, God dispenses the actual graces required in the moment.
3. Reading Scripture
Engaging with the Word of God opens people to the influence of divine grace. St. Augustine said reading Scripture exposes the soul to “a healing influence from God” to enlighten the mind and move the heart.
4. Performing good works
Doing virtuous deeds under the inspiration of actual grace disposes the soul to receive more grace. Jesus said, “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance” (Matthew 13:12). Generosity in doing good attracts greater grace.
5. Penance and mortification
Voluntary acts of self-denial, repentance, and asceticism induce God to grant actual graces to strengthen the will against sin and inclination to evil.
6. Devotion to Mary and the saints
By interceding on behalf of souls, Mary and the saints can obtain actual graces from God for those who honor them and rely on their prayers. Their intimate union with Christ allows them to mediate His grace.
These channels should be diligently used to grow in actual grace each day. This will enable progress in the spiritual life.
Effects of Actual Grace
What does actual grace accomplish in a person’s soul? How does it aid the spiritual life? Some key effects include:
1. Illumination of the mind
Actual grace enlightens the intellect to perceive divine truths and the right course of action. It subdues errors and reveals potential dangers.
2. Movement of the will
Grace influences the will by inspiring holy desires and giving the strength to do good. It counters sinful tendencies and provides energy to follow God’s commands.
3. Consolation of spirit
During times of difficulty and spiritual dryness, actual grace comforts and renews the soul’s fervor. It counteracts despondency and revives zeal.
4. Conviction of conscience
Grace stirs the conscience to recognize and repent of sins through supernatural remorse and compunction.
5. Assistance in temptation
In times of temptation, grace fortifies the will and provides an escape from falling into sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). It counters the tendency to evil.
6. Perseverance in good
Actual grace gives perseverance and determination to continue on the path of virtue despite difficulties. It prevents faintheartedness and inconstancy.
7. Growth in merits
As grace enables the performance of good works, it increases merits and heavenly reward. It stimulates progress in holiness.
This variety of spiritual effects demonstrates how vital actual grace is for Christian discipleship and living a life pleasing to God.
Cooperation with Actual Grace
An important aspect of actual grace is that its efficacy requires voluntary acceptance and cooperation. While actual grace is the beginning of salvation coming from God alone, humans must consent to it for it to bear fruit. The Council of Trent declared:
“If anyone says that without the anticipatory inspiration of the Holy Spirit and without his assistance, a person can believe, hope, and love or be repentant, as he or she ought, so that the grace of justification may be conferred upon them, let them be anathema.”
This affirms the necessity of cooperating with actual grace rather than resisting it. How can people cooperate?
1. Pray for grace
Ask God for the actual graces necessary to think, will, and act according to His purposes. Jesus taught this in the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).
2. Pay attention to conscience
Listen to and obey the voice of conscience, which is used by the Holy Spirit to indicate the right thing to do.
3. Promptly respond
When actual grace moves the heart and mind toward something good, promptly act on it before the motion passes.
4. Make acts of faith, hope, and love
These virtues dispose the soul to yield to God’s inspirations and graciously receive more grace.
5. Perform works of mercy
Doing charitable deeds under the influence of grace obtains further assistance from God.
6. Embrace suffering
Accept trials and deny sinful pleasures. This gains healing and strengthening graces.
7. Repeatedly pray
Persevering prayer for help aids cooperation with the progress of grace in the soul.
By using such means, actual grace can take root and bear fruit instead of being in vain. We must work in harmony with God’s gifts.
Necessity of Actual Grace
Is actual grace necessary for people to do good and be saved? The Catholic Church affirms that actual grace is utterly necessary for several reasons:
1. Human weakness
Due to the limitations of the fallen human condition, actual grace is needed to strengthen the will to avoid evil and choose good.
2. Supernatural end
Because the end of human existence transcends natural capacities, actual grace is essential to act for this supernatural purpose.
3. Christ’s redemption
To share in the merits of Christ’s redemption and have the capacity for righteousness, actual grace is required.
4. Divine adoption
For humans to become adopted children of God, actual grace conforms people to His likeness.
5. Salvation
Since humans cannot save themselves, God’s actual grace is indispensable for performing actions that lead to salvation.
Given these reasons, actual grace is not optional but mandated. The Second Council of Orange declared, “Through Jesus Christ we have been redeemed from evil, and by no other means can we be redeemed.”
This reflects the necessity of actual grace.
Growth in Actual Grace
Since actual grace is so vital to the Christian life, believers should seek to grow in grace and not receive it in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). Here are some ways to increase in actual grace:
– Frequent the sacraments – Make regular confession, communion, and draw grace from baptism.
– Perform works of mercy – Nursing the sick, aiding the poor, instructing the ignorant.
– Embrace trials – Offer up sufferings and deny sinful pleasures.
– Read Scripture – Draw grace from meditation on God’s Word.
– Keep the commandments – Obeying God’s law aids grace.
– Invoke the saints – Their intercession supplies actual grace.
– Consecrate oneself to Mary – Entrusting oneself to her care provides abundant grace.
– Pray constantly – Habitual prayer obtains needed graces.
– Perform penance – Voluntary mortification disposes the soul to grace.
If people diligently use such means, they will grow steadily in actual grace and the inner life. This will enable them to avoid sin, do good, and ultimately attain heaven.