LESSON TENTH.  ON THE EFFECTS OF THE REDEMPTION.

Q. 450.  What is an effect?  A. An effect is that which is caused by something else, as smoke, for example, is an effect of fire.

Q. 451.  What does redemption mean?  A. Redemption means the buying back of a thing that was given away or sold.

Q. 452.  What did Adam give away by his sin, and what did Our Lord buy back for him and us?  A. By his sin Adam gave away all right to God’s promised gifts of grace in this world and of glory in the next, and Our Lord bought back the right that Adam threw away.

Q. 453. {102} Which are the chief effects of the Redemption?  A. The chief effects of the Redemption are two:  The satisfaction of God’s justice by Christ’s sufferings and death, and the gaining of grace for men.

Q. 454.  Why do we say “chief effects”?  A. We say “chief effects” to show that these are the most important but not the only effects of the Redemption—­for all the benefits of our holy religion and of its influence upon the world are the effects of the redemption.

Q. 455.  Why did God’s justice require satisfaction?  A. God’s justice required satisfaction because it is infinite and demands reparation for every fault.  Man in his state of sin could not make the necessary reparation, so Christ became man and made it for him.

Q. 456. {103} What do you mean by grace?  A. By grace I mean a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for our salvation.

Q. 457.  What does “supernatural” mean?  A. Supernatural means above or greater than nature.  All gifts such as health, learning or the comforts of life, that affect our happiness chiefly in this world, are called natural gifts, and all gifts such as blessings that affect our happiness chiefly in the next world are called supernatural or spiritual gifts.

Q. 458.  What do you mean by “merit”?  A. Merit means the quality of deserving well or ill for our actions.  In the question above it means a right to reward for good deeds done.

Q. 459. {104} How many kinds of grace are there? 
A. There are two kinds of grace, sanctifying grace and actual grace.

Q. 460.  What is the difference between sanctifying grace and actual grace?  A. Sanctifying grace remains with us as long as we are not guilty of mortal sin; and hence, it is often called habitual grace; but actual grace comes to us only when we need its help in doing or avoiding an action, and it remains with us only while we are doing or avoiding the action.

Q. 461. {105} What is sanctifying grace?  A. Sanctifying grace is that grace which makes the soul holy and pleasing to God.

Q. 462. {106} What do you call those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him?  A. Those graces or gifts of God by which we believe in Him, and hope in Him, and love Him, are called the Divine virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity.