Faith, Grace, and Good Works

Jesus said, “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?  And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’  Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25, 34-46)

Are good works critical for salvation?  In his message to his apostles related by St. Mathew, Jesus was clear and emphatic that good works are necessary for salvation.

Catholics believe that eternal salvation is not merited, but rather is a pure gift from God. It is by God’s grace that one can be welcomed into heaven.  Without faith no amount of good works by a human will enable a person to attain the beatific vision. For without faith one is lost. Yet, it is clear by the words and actions of Jesus Christ during his life that good works follow upon faith and are necessary for salvation. Jesus was very clear in his description of those who would inherit the kingdom and those who would not.  St. Matthew’s description of Jesus addressing his followers during which He urges them to take care of “the least of my brethren” is a decisive admonition for mankind to follow faith with good works. If Catholics have faith in Jesus, but do not follow his examples and his teachings, then can they reasonably expect to attain heaven? No!  Anyone who has contemplated on the life of Jesus and His teachings will inevitably conclude that both faith and good works are necessary for eternal life.

Jesus clearly identified the two commandments that are required for eternal life with him….love God with one’s whole heart, mind, and soul and love one’s neighbor as one’s self. Loving your neighbor requires not only good intentions but also good works. Heroic virtue is not necessary, but everyone is able to contribute to the welfare of one’s neighbor in small ways. It may with a kind word, a helping hand, a sharing of a meal, or any number of seemingly inconsequential words or actions by which one provides a kindness for another human being.

There was no ambiguity in Jesus’ teaching.  Love God ….and love one’s neighbor. Loving requires action on our part.