Christ instituted a sacrament covering this subject...The sacrament of reconciliation or penance brings Catholics back to a state of grace after forgiving their sins when they confess those sins and show true repentance for them.
He gave us HIS Son that paid the penalty we can never pay
And, like the old Shake&Bake commercial; Mary can say...
Bonaventure: …the gates of heaven will open to all who confide in the protection of Mary. Blessed are they who know thee, O Mother of God, for the knowledge of THEE is the high road to everlasting life, and the publication of thy virtues is the way of ETERNAL SALVATION . Give ear, O ye nations; and all you who desire heaven , serve, honor Mary, and certainly you will find ETERNAL LIFE.
Ephem: …devotion to the divine Mother…is the unlocking of the heavenly Jerusalem.
Blosius: To the, O Lady, are committed the KEYS and the treasures of the kingdom of Heaven.
Ambrose: …constantly pray ‘Open to us, O Mary, the gates of paradise, since thou hast its KEYS.
Fulgetius: …by Mary God descended from Heaven into the world, that by HER man might ascend from earth to Heaven.
Athanasius: …And, thou, O Lady, wast filled with grace, that thou mightiest be the way of our SALVATION and the means of ascent to the heavenly Kingdom.
Richard of Laurence: Mary, in fine, is the mistress of heaven; for there she commands as she wills, and ADMITS whom she wills.
Guerric: …he who serves Mary and for whom she intercedes, is as CERTAIN of heaven as if he were already there…and those who DO NOT serve Mary will NOT BE SAVED.
Anselm: It suffices, O Lady, that thou willest it, and our SALVATION is certain.
Antoninus: …souls protected by Mary, and on which she casts her eyes, are NECESSARILY JUSTIFIED AND SAVED.
You can't work your way back into grace but *penance* because the minute you do something for it, it ceases to be grace.
Grace by its very nature is something you don't deserve. If someone does penance to receive grace, then that person is thinking that they now deserve it and so it ceases to be grace.
Where did he institute this sacrament? Please give me reference so i can read it myself. Thanks
True repentance is coming to that point where you see your puny self up next to the Almighty, Omnipotent, Holy, and Just God and realize you have offended Him, have caused Him pain, have broken His commands, and realize how sinful and filthy you are compared to His perfection, and you despair of that knowing there is no way of fixing the relationship you have broken with Him because of your sin, yet wanting desperately to. You get to the point where you realize there is nothing, not one thing you can do or think or say that can help you. You get to the point where you realize that God alone is the only solution. That He is God, and you are not, and can never be.
Then, and only then, God pours out His grace to you through the finished and victorious work of Christ' death and resurrection.
If you try in any way to think, say, or do anything to bring you back into God's graces, to cause God to pour out His grace, to come into a state of grace, then it is no longer only God's finished work, but your own. And that is sin. And if that is sin, then there was never any true repentance because you have elevated yourself into God's holy position.
Jesus paid the penance, in full, for everyone that comes to him...