‘Amoris Laetitia,’ Sanctifying Grace and Actual Grace

National Catholic Register, 7 April 2017

A loss in the distinctions is a reason so much confusion over the document remains, one year after its publication.

One year after the release of Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) on April 8, 2016, there has been no shortage of commentary about its teachings on the moral status and sacramental discipline for couples living in conjugal relationships without being validly married.

While the principal focus has been on couples who are validly married but living with someone else after a civil divorce and remarriage, the case of cohabiting couples is also relevant. One year after the release of Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) on April 8, 2016, there has been no shortage of commentary about its teachings on the moral status and sacramental discipline for couples living in conjugal relationships without being validly married.

Elsewhere, I have reviewed the various twists and turns over Amoris Laetitia, but it seems that, stepping back, a critical dimension of the Amoris Laetitia debate is a confusion over the nature of grace. Specifically, the differences between sanctifying grace, actual grace and sacramental grace.

Read more at the National Catholic Register:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/amoris-laetitia-sanctifying-grace-and-actual-grace