On Our Justification

Quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

“Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man” (Council of Trent (1547): DS 1528).  #1989

Justification establishes cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom.  On man’s part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the Word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent.  #1992

The Holy Spirit is the master of the interior life.  By giving birth to the “inner man,” justification entails the sanctification of his whole being.  #1995

The fidelity of the baptized is a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church’s mission in the world.  In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians.  “The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw men to the faith and to God.”  #2044