Q: What would come to mind if someone asked you what God's economy
is?
A:
The economy of grace is post-scarcity since it flows from an infinite
wellspring. Therefore, the notions of production, exchange, and
consumption have no consequences in it. There is only the norm of
distributive justice which is satisfied perfectly.
Grace itself is divided into actual and sanctifying grace. In a
terrestrial economy, goods are distributed first of all according
to the order of merit. However, because all grace is gratuitous,
merit must first be determined by the distribution of sanctifying
grace. God offers this grace, which removes sin and makes the soul
holy and pleasing to Him, to every rational creature. Those who
freely reject sanctifying grace can do nothing to merit any good
from God, but those who accept it can merit and deserve gifts from
God by reason of their participation in the supernatural life,
which is the definition of sanctifying grace. Wherefore the saints
who enjoy sanctifying grace have real intercessory power with God.
Actual graces include nature itself and every other thing that God
does for His creatures beyond what they deserve. God distributes
actual graces according to His own plan, which since He is a divine
being is beyond human comprehension or control.
The above principles follow naturally to the conclusion that those
who participate in the divine economy by way of sanctifying grace
thereby merit the eternal satisfaction of all their desires in
union with the very essence of God, the apprehension of which is
known as the Beatific Vision. Therefore one who dies in the state
of sanctifying grace is capable of sinning no more and has a right
to enjoy this blessed eternity. God being justice itself is fully
incapable of denying this right to any holy soul.
Sanctifying grace has ordinary and extraordinary means of distribution.
The ordinary means are the seven sacraments instituted by Jesus
Christ, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, and given to the
Catholic Church which He founded to sanctify and teach the souls
of the world. A sacrament is defined as an outward sign of an
inwardly infused grace which was instituted by Christ. God who
can neither deceive nor be deceived has guaranteed by His power
that any duly ordained priest who validly confects a sacrament
exercises the ministry of a sacramental grace _ex opere operato_,
that is, by the very fact of performing those actions which God
guaranteed would confect the sacrament.
The extraordinary means of sanctifying grace is perfect contrition,
that is, perfect sorrow for all one's sins _because they offend
God_ and not merely because of the punishment they have incurred,
along with the firm resolution never to offend God again, even to
the point of dying rather than sin.
A sacrament has four parts corresponding to the four causes in
nature: the minister, matter, form, and intention.
The minister varies from sacrament to sacrament and from ordinary
to extraordinary kind. Ordinarily for validity the minister must
at least be ordained a priest, although the sacrament of baptism
was deemed so important by God that He allows laymen to baptize in
cases of grave necessity. Also, the ordinary ministers of matrimony
are the husband and wife. Other than that, the minister must be
either a priest or a bishop, otherwise the sacrament does not
happen. One can only become a priest or a bishop by being ordained
by a validly consecrated bishop, so there is an unbroken lineage
of priests stretching back to the first bishops, the Apostles who
were ordained by Christ Himself.
The matter also varies from sacrament to sacrament, but it is always
a thing or action which in some way signifies the grace that is to
be conferred upon the recipient. In the case of baptism, it is
the action of pouring water over the head; for the Eucharist, it
is unleavened bread and naturally fermented grape wine; for
confirmation, the signing of the forehead with holy chrism and the
laying on of hands; and so forth. Any deviation from the prescribed
matter invalidates the sacrament, and no sacramental grace is
conferred.
The form is a literal verbal formula that must be recited by the
minister of the sacrament, if not word for word, then at least such
that the meaning of the formula is left intact. A defect of form
likewise renders a sacrament invalid or at least doubtful.
The intention in any valid sacrament is always to do what the Church
does.
Now, in the late sixties, the Church attempted to change sacred
Tradition and alter the matter and form of most of the sacraments.
But no body of prelates, not even the Pope in union with an ecumenical
council, has the authority to contradict what has been handed down
from Christ. Thus, the widespread practice of the Church since
the late sixties has been to confect doubtful or invalid sacraments,
including the sacrament of Holy Orders which leaves the episcopal
lineage of the Novus Ordo or new order of clergy in grave doubt.
As the effect of sanctifying grace is to make the soul holy and
pleasing to God, the effect of depriving the people of this means
of grace because of the invalidity of the new sacraments was a
general breakdown in morals, religion, and social order.
Now you know what the divine economy is and what its impact on our
world has been. After we die, we shall also see the greatest
effects of God's economy in the souls of the blessed, and we shall
see the tragic consequences of men's arrogant attempt to tamper
with it in the everlasting torments of hell.
