You’re reduced to the merely natural life again, and no natural act can merit a supernatural reward. When you lose supernatural life, there’s nothing you can do on your own to regain it. The trouble with venial sins is that they weaken us, making us more vulnerable to mortal sins. Venial sins don’t destroy supernatural life, and they don’t even lessen it. Mortal sins can’t coexist with the supernatural life, because by their nature such sins are saying “No” to God, while sanctifying grace would be saying “Yes.” Mortal sins are deadly sins because they kill off this supernatural life, this sanctifying grace.

But you can lose it again by sinning mortally (1 John 5:16–17). Through the sacrament of penance, through your reconciliation to God, you receive sanctifying grace. God keeps giving you these divine pushes, and all you have to do is go along.įor instance, he moves you to repentance, and if you take the hint you can find yourself in the confessional, where the guilt for your sins is remitted (John 20:21–23).

You can obtain supernatural life by yielding to actual graces you receive. You then have to face an eternity of spiritual death: the utter separation of your spirit from God (Eph. If it doesn’t dwell in your soul when you die-in other words, if your soul is spiritually dead by being in the state of mortal sin (Gal. If sanctifying grace dwells in your soul when you die, then you can live in heaven (though you may need to be purified first in purgatory cf. That supernatural life is called sanctifying grace. What you need to live there is supernatural life, not just natural life. In its natural state, your soul isn’t fit for heaven.

What is the meaning of grace