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I agree. Here's something more regarding grace. "The first grace, if responded to, brings with it a string of other graces. The servant who employed well his five talents recieved five talents more (Matt. 25.28) Hence the words of Christ: "He that hath, to him shall be given and he shall abound" (Matt. 25.29) And I would say, how did this servant "employ" his gifts? By works. Works done out of love of God. Remember the other servant who buried his talents in the ground and was cursed and everything taken from him.

Regarding the sacraments giving us grace, when Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. When Saul was baptized 'there fell from his eyes as it were scales' (Acts 9) indicating that his spiritual blindness was over. These are examples of the grace, supernatural grace, working in the sacraments.

In confirmation we also recieve grace. At pentecost the apostles recieved the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The apostles Peter and John laid their hands on the Christians in Samaria, and they recieved the Holy Ghost (Acts 8. 11-17)

In the Holy Eucharist Jesus gives us Himself "The bread that I will give you is my flesh." "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath life everlasting and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed."

We believe that the manna in the Old Testament was a prefigurment of the Holy Eucharist. The manna fed the Israelites on their journey through the desert. It was a supernatural food. The supernatural bread given to Elias gave him the strength to travel forty days to Mount Horeb. The multiplication of the loaves and the water made wine at Canna also show us that grace is working in this sacrement.

The effects of recieving Holy Communion and the grace derived from same, have filled volumes. The grace in us is the "life" that Jesus mentions when He says that unless you eat His flesh and drink His blood you have no life in you.

IMO:) The bible does not say anywhere that grace is received through sacraments.

Becky

What, exactly, does a Catholic mean by grace. Please do not give me a bunch of examples or description. I want to know what the word means, what its definition is.

Thanks! Hank