LETTERS: CATHOLIC POSITION ON WORKS IS EXPLAINED

To the editor:

In response to a Dec. 30 column by George Will, I would like to clarify a statement made by Mr. Will.

First, let me say that I like George Will. I enjoy reading his columns, watching him on television when engaging in political debate and consider him to be well-informed and extremely intellectual. Having said that, a clarification is needed in regard to a small but very important segment of his column.

On the topic of justification, one of the main tenets of the Protestant reformation in the early 16th century (how one is justified in the eyes of our Lord), Mr. Will tries to distinguish between the Catholic Christian position and the Protestant Christian position. He states, "In the 16th and 17th centuries much ink, and not a little blood, was shed over whether faith is the unmerited gift of God's grace, or whether free will, manifested in deeds, participates in earning salvation."

The problem here is the word, "earning." This is a misunderstanding in regard to Catholic theology. When people read a statement like the one made by Mr. Will, it tends to lend credence to the misconception that Catholic Christians think they can "earn" their salvation through good works. This is not the Catholic position.

The Catholic church has never taught that we can earn our salvation through some sort of a merit system. In fact, it has constantly condemned this very notion. Only by God's grace, completely unmerited by works or deeds, can we be saved.

Justification in the eyes of our Lord, our very salvation, is indeed a free gift given to us by the grace of God. However, this gift must be accepted through our faith in Jesus Christ, which is manifested in works or deeds of love in his name. In other words, there is a participatory aspect required of our faith, in contrast to the idea of faith alone (simply mental ascent, or just a belief in a list of propositions).

The Bible teaches us that "faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). James also says, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). He continues, "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). Authentic, saving faith is always manifested in works of love.

So, we don't earn our salvation. Works alone profit us nothing, but they do play a vital role in completing our faith, which is required in accepting the free gift of grace which God so lovingly extends to each and every one of us.

MIKE T. YOUNG

Cape Girardeau