This a book review on “Of Sacraments and Sacrifice” by Clifford Howell, S.J., published by The Liturgical Press, St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota, copyright 1952. With:
NIHIL OBSTAT
Iaonnes Eidenschink, O.S.B., J.C.D.
Censor Deputatus
IMPRIMI POTEST
Daniel H. Conway, S.J.
Provincialis
Missourii Provinciae
+Balduinus Dworschak, O.S.B.
Abbas
Sancti Ioannis Baptissae
IMPRIMATUR
+Petrus W. Bartholome, D.D.
Coadiutor Episcopus
Sancti Clodaldi
Die 29a octobris, 1952
The following is a large quote from Chapter Two which is entitled The Good Tidings, which, in my opinion, clearly puts all of salvation history, the reasons for what happened, and what sanctifying grace is, in clear focus, at high level. (square brackets indicate lines and bible verse cites not in the original) :
[Cradle Catholics, i.e. Catholics from birth not converts] . . . learned our religion when we were children. We took it in gradually, absorbing it from our environment of home and school and church. Very early we were taught elementary truths about God, our Lord, our Lady, guardian angels and some saints; we learned some prayers by heart. We were told that God would be pleased if we did certain things, and that He would not be pleased if we did other things. If we pleased God we were on our way to heaven, and if we offended God we might end up I hell. At school we had formal and more explicit teaching which developed all these foundation-truths in further detail, and showed us the relationship between these truths and our duties and our prayers.
Gradually there was formed in us a certain attitude towards God; we learned to regard God primarily as our Creator, and as the Rewarder of good and evil. We saw our place in the scheme of things – as creatures temporarily in this world for the purpose of making our way to heaven. We learned that Christ, by His death on calvary, had opened the gates of heaven to us; that He founded an infallible Church to guide us, to tell us what is right and what is wrong, and to provide us with marvelous helps, called sacrament, whereby we are aided to do good and avoid evil. And the Church has an official act of worship – the Mass – in which the fruits of Calvary are applied to our souls.
Through the infallible Church, then, we can know with certainty what to believe (our creed); from the Church we have reliable guidance as to what to do (our code); in the Church we have opportunity for adequate worship (our cult). Creed, code and cult – that is religion. This (with a lot of details filled in) more or less summarizes what we learned when young.
And, of course, it is all perfectly true. But we must ever remember that what we learned when young could be absorbed by us only in an immature way; our minds were so limited in their capacity that nothing deeper could be grasped. We must not imagine that our school-Catholicism is and adequate equipment for life. Just as we grew up in other respects, so we need also grow up in our religion – to have a mature outlook and grasp of all its implications. The pity of it is that the religious mentality or outlook or attitude (it is difficult to hit on precisely the right word) of enormous numbers of Catholics remains the same (fundamentally) as that which was formed in their youth. They remain permanently immature in their religion.
To make the point clearer, think of a schoolboy who is beginning to learn chemistry. All he will learn will be that within the mental capacity he then has – the mere rudiments of the science. He will learn the main properties of solids, liquids and gases; change of state; mixtures and compounds; preparation of a few elements and compounds, and a bitt about acids, bases and salts. That is about all he can manage for a long time. Doubtless he takes a boyish delight in the colors of solutions and precipitates in the stinks and bangs produced in experiments – and he thinks he is getting along splendidly with his chemistry.
Yet he has no conception of the fascinations that await him later, when he matures. In the course, when intellectually capable of absorbing them, he learns such matters as the atomic theory, the periodic table, electrolytic disassociation, stereo-isomerism, atomic structure, isotopes . . . he finds that in chemistry there are delights of the mind which exceed beyond description and delights which he previously derived from the colors and smells of his early experiments. His whole outlook on the science of chemistry has completely out grown his child like views. There, of course, do not become false: it remains true that A plus B makes a color and C plus D makes a smell and E plus F makes a bang. But it is now clear to him that chemistry amounts to a great deal more than that sort of thing!
Just so, when we were boys and girls learning our religion, we absorbed certain information and formed a certain point of view of outlook on our creed, our code, and our cult. And we thought we were getting a good grip on our religion. So we were – but only as far as our then immature minds could grasp it. And just as the small boy busy with smells and colors and explosions has no idea of the wonder of “adult chemistry,” so we, in our youth, could have no idea of the wonders of what we might call “adult Catholicism.”
By which I do not just mean Catholicism as it is actually grasped by millions of people over the age of twenty-one. This alas, is so often of the same kind as that which they grasped in their youth. While maturing physically (and perhaps even intellectually in many ways) they have failed to mature religiously. What I do mean by “adult Catholicism” is that which involves a grasp of matters corresponding to the atomic theory, periodic table, tautomerism and so on of my chemical analogy.
And what matters are these? Chiefly the meaning of supernatural life, the “Mystical Body” doctrine, the relationship of Christians to Christ and to each other in terms of these; the “corporateness” of justification through Christ, of worship with Christ and of salvation in Christ; Catholic life of Mass, sacraments, liturgical year and so forth as seen from this angle.
All these contain wonders and delights for the mind, heart, soul and even body far surpassing whatever elements of our religion we managed to grasp in our youth. Not that we learned then becomes in any way false – of course not. It certainly is true and remains true that we must keep the commandments, obey the Church, frequent the sacraments, and go to Mass. But from what is called the “liturgical outlook” (which embodies that adult Catholicism I have tried to describe), it becomes clear that Catholicism amounts to infinitely more than this!
Of all the things that have to be explained I am inclined to think that the most fundamental – that which comes logically first – is the idea of supernatural life, or sanctifying grace (to give it its other name). If this is understood, then “Mystical Body” doctrine becomes intelligible. And once that is grasped, all the rest of the “liturgical outlook” can be built up upon it and expressed in terms of it. Hence I shall tackle first of all this subject of “supernatural life.”
And the obvious point from which to begin is natural life. We are familiar with three forms of it – plant life, animal life, human life. Precisely what life is we do not know; that is a question which biologists have never solved and probably never will solve. But that does not prevent us from knowing a lot about life. We know that each form of life is limited to its capabilities. Plants cannot do animal things, and animals cannot do human things.
On a beautiful spring morning a thrush may experience such a feeling of well-being that he opens his beak and expresses himself in exquisite song. The daffodils at the foot of his tree may be equally thriving in their own way – but they cannot sing about it. Yet a man who likewise feels that life is particularly good that morning might very well sing – through his song would have words to it because speech is within the power of human nature. Suppose, however, that a thrush which had strayed into Missouri burst forth into a nostalgic ditty about his “Old Kentucky Home,” then he would not be acting according to his nature. He would be acting according to human nature, which is above his own. Now the Latin word for “above” is super. Hence this imaginary thrush would be acting supernaturally – doing something supernatural.
Another example. The different forms of life act differently with regard to their food. Plants wait for it to come to them (in the form of soluble salts from the earth). Animals go and get it (whether it be grass in a field or deer in a forest). Man not only procures his food but, when he wants to, he also cooks it. Now if a barren fig tree started wandering round in search of a nice succulent dung-hill or if a wolf were discovered rigging up a spit on which to cook a newly killed deer, each would be acting supernaturally. The tree would be acting according to animal nature; and the wolf according to human nature.
The only possible explanation for such behavior would be that somehow the tree had become endowed with a share in animal nature, and the wolf with a share in human nature. For each would be doing something for which it does not, by its own nature, possess the requisite powers. It must, therefore, be sharing in that type of life which belongs to a nature above (super) its own – that is supernatural life.
Of course there are not, in fact any thrushes, fig trees or wolves capable of these astonishing supernatural actions! We can only imagine them, and are powerless to make these creatures of our imagination exist in reality. But that does not apply to Bod. He can not only imagine anything imaginable, but, if He wants to , He can create it as a reality. So far as we can make our He has not desired to make any plants or animals share in the type of life higher than their own natural life (unless, perhaps Balaam’s loquacious ass was an instance [Numbers 22:21-38]).
But he has done it in the case of man! For He has invited man to share in divine happiness. And that is not natural to man at all. The happiness natural to man is human happiness; divine happiness is what is natural to God. To enjoy it is therefore a divine activity, above human nature. If man is to do that, them he has to act supernaturally; for that he needs supernatural life of the type corresponding to the activity. For divine activity he would have to have a share in divine life.
And that, best beloved, is precisely what God has given him! Beside his natural life he is given “a created participation in the divine nature” (as theologians call it), and this makes him capable of certain activities which belong properly to God alone and exceed the powers of human nature. In particular, man thereby becomes capable of enjoying God’s perfections – that is, of being happy in the way that God is happy (not in a merely human way). This is called the “beatific vision.” And because man has not right whatever to this created participation in the divine nature, and has it only through God’s goodness or graciousness, it goes also by the name of grace.
Beyond doubt many Catholics do not see this point with any vividness. They do not think of grace as sharing in God’s own life and powers. Their notions are a bit hazy and inadequate. They regard grace, for instance, as a beautiful garment of the soul which makes it pleasing in God’s sight; or else as a kind of ticket of admission into heaven. Which is rather like regarding the health (say) of a young man as the good color of his cheeks or as the doctor’s certificate whereby the qualifies for some job.
These notions have, indeed, a measure of truth, but they are two superficial, and grace, when viewed this way, does not seem to be anything very exciting. Fut if it is thought of and understood as a life – as a sharing in that sort of life which belongs by nature to God alone – then it is prized as something unspeakably wonderful, resulting in utterly astounding consequences which entrance the mind and warm the heart.
The first consequence id that when we are given grace we cease to be merely ordinary men and women and become, as it were supermen. We are lifted above the natural plane on which all other creatures exist, and are brought into the closest intimacy with God Himself. For, without ceasing to be God’s creatures, we become also God’s sons. We are His sons and daughters in a very real and true sense. Not in the same sense that Christ our Lord is the Son of God – for He is begotten by the Father in the seme divine nature as the Father’s own. Our sonship is not by nature, but by adoption.
But this means far more than human adoption. If a man adopts a son he may treat the boy in every was as if he were his own son; yet the fact remains that the life of the boy was not imparted to him by the man whom he has learned to call “Father.” Adoption in the human plane is but a fiction. But adoption by God involves a fact – we become truly God’s sons because God does actually impart to us His own type of life (natural and uncreated in Him, supernatural and created in us). And since we have life from God we really are His sons – not by way of convention, but in fact. When we call God “Our Father” we name Him truly.
And a second consequence is that, being sons of God, we are heirs to heaven. We are not, indeed, enjoying God’s kind of happiness yet – our bodies have to die before that happens. But we are definitely qualified for or equipped for enjoying that kind of happiness. We have already got those powers with – when we come into the appropriate circumstances – will enable us to see and enjoy God in the beatific vision. Men without the supernatural life of grace are like men born blind and living in a dark cellar. Even supposing they were to be led out int the light they could still see mothing. But we, who have grace, are like people with the power of sight. At present we see nothing, or almost nothing, of God because we are still in the darkness of this earthly life. We only see God by faith “as through a glass, darkly.” [as part of this Biblical quote – 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, we have the phrase “when that which is perfect has come” which of course refers to God and heaven”]
But we know that we have the power to see him – we are not blind. We can look forward to being delivered from our dark cellar, passing through h the door of death. Then we shall emerge into the light of God’s glory and shall be able to “see Him face to face.” [1 Corinthians 13:12] That is what grace does for us!
Those of us who have this life of grace are enormously privileged. For nobody has any right to it whatever. And not everybody has it – though, but for a fearful tragedy at the very beginning of human history, everybody might have had it.
When God first created Adam and Eve He gave to them not only their natural human lives, but also this life of grace we have been discussing here. And besides that He gave sundry lesser privileges – one of which was that though Adam and Eve were mortal (that is, capable of dying) they were in fact going to be spared death. After some time spent in a knowledge of God, imperfect yet sufficient to guide them in living according to God’s will, they were to be granted the full and perfect knowledge of God (with attendant perfect happiness) in the beatific vision. They would come to this without having to die first. So would all their descendants. That was God’s original loving and generous plan.
But unfortunately Adam did not do God’s will – he preferred his own will. Instead of pleasing God he chose to please his wife. By thus insulting and disobeying God he committed the first, or “original” sin. Now we must always remember that God is not only infinitely good, but He infinitely just. It would not have been consistent with His justice to go on giving privileges to rebels! So the privileges were discontinued, and Adam was given his rights – and only his rights.
Nothing really due to him in virtue of his human nature was taken away from him – only the “extras.” So he was now no longer exempt from death. Worse still, he now had only his natural human life – which, as we have seen, is not sufficient for enjoying the beatific vision.
The consequences of this were appalling! For Adam could not pass on to his children what he didn’t have. His children were born as Adam himself had become – destined to die and possessing no kind of life except natural life. No supernatural life. No capacity for enjoying God. No share in the divine nature. No filial relationship with God. The same with the next generation – and the next – and the next – and so on for all time, right down to us and beyond us.
Unless God had done something about it, this meant that all generations of the human race were ruined – rendered incapable of enjoying God in heaven. Even if, by some strange supposition, they could get to heaven they would not know they were there; for they could no more enjoy God than a blind man could enjoy a lovely view. Lacking any share of in the divine life, they could not act according to divine nature in enjoying divine happiness.
This is the condition in which all of us came into existence. It is a condition which would never have been were it not for the original sin committed by Adam. That is why it is called the “state of original sin.” It is not that we (or any other newborn babes) had actually done anything wrong or offended God in any way. Not at all. But the point is that we had nothing except that to which we were entitled by our status as human beings. Everything which was our due we were given: God did us no wrong in creating us like this. Nevertheless the fact remains that even with the fullest and most perfectly developed of human powers we still could not get to heaven. That can only be done by a privilege – the privilege of sharing in God’s kind of life by possessing grace.
How, then, was grace given to us? The answer t o those questions s the most astonishing and beautiful story in the world. It is the most moving revelation of God’s infinite wisdom, of His inexhaustible power and – above all – of his boundless love.
“By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent His Only-begotten son into the world, that we may live by Him,” [1 John 4:9] says St. John. There came, as a member of the ruined human race, the very Son of God! He was the Son of God the Father, not by adoption, but by nature. Divine life was natural to Him. Yet, when He was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, human life was also natural to Him. And as he shared our human life, He brought it about that we could share His divine life. “I am come,” He said, “that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” [John 10:10]
The disobedience of Adam under the tree of Paradise was wiped out by the obedience of Christ on the tree of the Cross. All of us entered this world subject to the death sentence, and equipped with merely natural powers, because the life which we had was only natural life derived for Adam. But now we look beyond temporal death to ternal life, which we can enter with supernatural powers provided that we have super natural life derived from Christ. Our natural life came to us by a process of natural generation from Adam. And the marvelous thing which Christ had done is to arrange that supernatural life may come to us by a process of supernatural generation from Himself. He has brought it about that we may be related to Him in the supernatural order in a way which parallels our relationship to Adam in the natural order.
Thus He is the “Second Adam.” “Adam,” as St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “was the type of Him who was to come . . . If one man’s fault brought death on a whole multitude, all the more lavish is God’s grace, shown to a whole multitude – that free gift He has made us in the race brought by One Man – Jesus Christ!” [Romans 5:14,17] Or, as he reminded the Corinthians, “just as all have died with Adam, so with Christ all may be brought to life.” [1 Corinthians 15:22]
This life which Christ won for us, and which He imparts to us, is the very kernel of the Christian message; that He has raised us up above our natural plane unto sonship of God the Father and brotherhood of Himself is the essence of the “Gospel” (which means ‘good tidings”). An understanding of the why and the how of all this is the key to our creed; a vivid consciousness of it is the motive of our code; and a joyously intelligent reaction to it is the inspiration of our cult. The doctrine of sanctifying grace, in fact, illuminates, informs and enlivens our whole religion and leads us on to comprehend “in all its breadth and length and height and depth the love of Christ – to know what passes knowledge!”[Ephesians 3:18-19]
How jejune, by contrast, is that view which sees in our religion little more than a collection of “do’s and don’ts” coupled with a set of aids for the avoidance of sin and the collection of merits all aimed at the ultimate welfare of the individual. Yet how many there are who seem to get but little further than this . . .
The above quote is the most surface look at what sanctifying grace is, from chapter two of the book, just enough to show you how incredibly important sanctifying grace is and why any human should care a great deal about it. The table of contents below gives you an outline of what the rest of the book will be covering.
Contents:
Part One Of Sacraments
Why Worship? 3
The Good Tidings 12
Sharing Divine Life 23
Of Things Visible and Invisible 34
The Making of a Christian 45
Increase of the Body 56
The Health of the Mystical Body 68
Part Two Of Sacrifice
The Meaning of Sacrifice 81
Man’s Yearning 93
What Happens at Mass 103
Completing the Sacrifice 114
The Mass is a Liturgy 124
Problems of Participation 135
Liturgical Piety 153
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 164
This is a book every Catholic needs to read, so take time to check it out of your local library, get an inter library loan if you have to or buy it if you can.
