How do you know if you are in a state of grace?

How do you know if you are in a state of grace?

I think that this is a difficult one to answer?

Any thoughts?

Maybe there is an easy answer lol?

 

For me it is by examining my conscience based on what the teachings of the church has provided. Then going to confession. Then staying away from all I know to be seriously contrary to God's law.

Conditions for Mortal sin
1) You know it it wrong
2) You know it is seriously contrary to God's holy will
3) You desire and/or choose the sin anyway.

For instance, on another thread someone was asking about extra marital acts outside intercourse and if it was wrong.

The Church clearly teaches that it is objectively gravely sinful to perform other acts such as masturbation from ones spouse or oneself. Now just because many, if not most priests today, may tell one differently, this does not excuse what our church, scripture or Christ taught.

When it comes to sexual relations the church is quite clear. Only marital intercourse is permitted.

 

We can never actually know this, but I heard a good priest say the best way to try to discern our state is to take note of the outward signs. Are you feeling drawn to prayer, becoming holy, truly trying to live an upright life, etc? Of course it is possible to do all those and still be in mortal sin, but that is because God is pulling you to Him.

For me I think the biggest test is whether I feel peaceful or not. Is my soul agitated? I don't mean normal upsets, which we all have. If I died right this moment, do I feel at peace or would I want to run to confession at the thought?

 

I'm glad you asked this question. I struggle with this.

 

Three conditions for mortal sin:
1. It has to be a serious matter
2. You have to know it is a serious matter
3. You have to commit the sin with full consent of your will

 

Sometimes JoeJerk wants to make me a scrupulous fanatic. He can dig up things from my past and throw them in my face. Did I ever confess that? Did I make proper amends? That's one extreme he likes to play with. The other is often in the area of failed promises (I tend to rush in making promises). Those are two of my weaknesses he preys upon.

So here's what I try to do. When something gnaws at me, I first attempt to name it. It shouldn't just be a feeling of guilt, but tied to a specific action or nurtured thought. I then make an act of contrition, letting Jesus know I'm sorry to have offended His Sacred Heart (perfect contrition). Then I'll ask myself if it was serious or not; did it grievously hurt God or another? If so, I will go to Confession soon-as-possible, within a day, or at most two. If it is venial, I'll include it in my next regular confession. (I go about every other week). I make amends as soon as possible where necessary.

In other words, to regularly examine one's conscience and to regularly confess will help keep us in a state of grace. As one grows in the spiritual life, the little things tend to bug us more. I think that is good because it indicates we love God more deeply and are sorry for offending Him. It doesn't necessarily mean they are grave matter.

Safe on the Father's Lap!

 

Good thought, Praetorian!

Safe in the Flames of the Sacred Heart!

 

Thanks

Yours was excellent as well. I suffer from scruples also and one big problem you touched on is that they can somewhat mimic true spiritual growth by making small things seem bigger than they are. It is a distorted version of this though which can be very disheartening

 

I struggled with this a little as I began to wonder what actually was a State of Grace? Then I realised it was the absolute standard of not being in a State of Mortal sin:

https://www.catholic.com/tract/who-can-receive-communion

What is Mortal Sin? It is a State of being Spiritually Dead .

I think the big problem here is to see the difference between mortal and venial sins.

…All wrongdoing is sin, but not all sin is deadly” 1st John (5:17)

http://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-difference-between-mortal-and-venial-sin/

I would say it is a big mistake to judge our Spiritual Life by feel good. St John of the Cross warns about such things. 'I feel fine about things therefore things are fine'. 'I feel bad about things therefore I must be in mortal sin'.

Jesus shows us that many souls wake up surprised in hell wondering how they got there. They felt just fine about themselves. Sin blinds the eyes of the conscience and deep sinners are the very last to know.

A good example of false feelings are the Mormons. There hold the often crazies mixture of illogical and absurd beliefs and when in discussion and study they are often confronted with this find themselves confounded. But then they are told if they feel a, 'Burning in the breast', then to take it things are fine. TO ignore logic just to have this inner feeling to abandon logic. Things feel fine so they must be fine.

I believe the problem many people have with this Discernment is that they are looking too close up. If you are climbing a steep mountain all you will see ar your two muddy feet in front of you. If on the other hand you are on a high mountain top, like an Eagle you see for huge distances.

This is what we need for deep inner discernment to be on the mountain top with eyes of an eagle. To do this less than individual actions we must stand right back and ook at our relationship as a whole rather than staring at every individual action.

Take the relationship between a husband and wife. They have serious row. In order to judge this from the mountain top it is necessary for them to step back. TO view things overall. How are they getting along in their relationship generally. Have they children? Are the children treated well? Are they being kind to each other? Showing respect? Fair division of labour and so on?

But if you stare too closely at something it seems huge, you end up staring at your feet.

Step back and look at the larger picture.

But generally if you are concerned about being in a state of mortal you are probably not in a State of Mortal at all. The very last thing a person in mortal sin think is that he is doing anything wrong.

Step back head for the mountain top , don;t look at the two feet in front of you.

Fly like an eagle and look round you.

 

Seems to me the best way to know if you are in mortal sin is to know what the Church Jesus founded has always taught. To be ignorant of church teachings is to be ignorant of sin. There is so many pamphlets and writings on every subject imaginable that one could only be ignorant of what is sin and deadly sin if one is ignorant of biblical truth. But, at the same time we realize that the average Catholic today couldn't pass a 5th grace religion test. Sin is not mentioned in most homilies, unless it is about illegal immigration, global warming, redistribution of wealth and any other number of social justice issues. Why do you think our pope speaks and applies his greatest efforts on these issues? It is because they don't want to embrace and speak to the sins of the flesh, the sins defined by the bible. They don't want to address the sins of the flesh rampant in our world today: sodomy, fornication, masturbation, co-habitation, divorce and remarriage, invitro-fertilization, test tube babies, condoms, abortion pills, abortion, homosexuality etc... All of this is the hidden by the veil of the devil and his advocates.

 

I cannot tell you how helpful this post is is because this is exactly what I go through. You have laid out a good strategy. Thankyou!!!
Many years ago I had a series of spiritual dreams. Amazing Graces really. In one of them I was talking to Jesus exclaiming with great sorrow: O Lord the closer I get to you the further away I am!

It sounds like an oxymoron but when I woke up and thought about it I realized that this is exactly what happens. the closer we draw to God the more we realize Who He is and who we are. Humbling.

 

Yes Sean. Exactly. The devil is very clever with this. Before long the soul is tied in knots. This is where faith in the mercy if Christ comes in. And for me where Our Lady really helps.

 

What a lovely analogy Padraig. Very helpful.

 

I go to Confession at the National Shrine to a priest who likens the spiritual life to an ocean and sometimes sins that were hidden in the ocean wash up on shore. (He says that)
That is when I bring them to the Lord in Confession.
You are right, the closer we get to Jesus, the more we see that we need to keep our
Baptismal robes spotless.

 

I have a light bulb in the ceiling of my bedroom. It is very low down, my head keeps hitting it and it falls and breaks. I kept replacing it. The bulbs are quite expensive. This morning I suddenly realised I am going to keep breaking it and I do not really need it as I have a lamp stand. So I am going to leave that socket empty.

But to see this I had to stand back from things and take a long hard look at it all in order to fix it.

It is the same with Discernment of our Spiritual State; we often need to stand back to look at things and see what and how they need fixed. That is why we have Spiritual Retreats.

On the other hand if we look too closely at individual episodes or sins we can loose a sense of proportionality.

 

That is a good way to put it. Wonderful priest!

 

He really is a wonderful priest. From his accent, I'm thinking African. Just wonderful.

 

This is a bit esoteric but just as Sean suggested about outward signs of not being at peace I see outward evidence also that I am in a state of grace. I begin to have little promptings to do things for others during my day and I do what they suggest. Sort of inspirations if you will that come out of the blue a lot of the time. They are always of a spirit of goodwill and giving of ones self for others in some way.

As a general rule I try not to allow the sun to set on an amends I need to make to others but first I consider my day in the evening before bed for any wrongs I might have committed. Whether it is for a comment I have made to my family, usually sarcasm in my case or cynicism in some way, or for not doing something I should as a husband and father. Generally this isn't a grave sin but it is certainly not a virtue.

I don't think it is a particularly good practice for some who tend toward scrupulosity to follow their feelings too much when it comes to this. I found that it is best to try to remain as objective as possible. HH post was spot on but I had my priest tell me that these things I need not concern myself over as to still being in a state of sin over them. That we are sometimes reminded of sins we committed long ago in the past but when we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us for those we have not remembered that this covers all our sins so far as we have made a good effort toward searching our conscious in these affairs.

I heard a quote I think by Father Ripperger who stated that if one prays daily, specifically the rosary that within a year any grave sin they might have tendencies toward would in most cases be a thing of the past. I have found this to be true. Now it is the things which I have not done that I should that tend to prick my conscious the most. As well as times when I have been called to perform an act which by responding well can help to build virtue but I hesitate or have an attitude which is not conducive to virtue. Now and again I have little moments of inspiration in which the Holy Spirit is pointing me in a direction and I instead procrastinate over them. Things like that.

 

You said some truths here, Don. I like that you ask God to forgive the sins you have not remembered. I will take that practice for myself. I also like that you are corresponding to the graces God is giving you, so that helps you to know you are in a state of grace. If we are in a state of grace, Jesus is residing in our souls. He is in our very cells.
I have some sins of omission here, too

 

Excellent post Don.