Aug 19 Wed
Can God's grace help us fight and overcome disorderly tendencies?
God's grace can truly help us fight and overcome disorderly tendencies, though the Church also teaches that, in this life, these tendencies are not fully eradicated.
The first effect of the Holy Spirit's grace is conversion. As Jesus announced, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). Moved by grace, a person turns to God, departs from sin, and places himself under God’s justice and mercy.
The nature we have inherited from Adam has been wounded by original sin. Grace, which is infused into the soul for the first time by Baptism, heals this wounded nature. It does not completely remove the effects of original sin, however, because an inclination to sin still remains (fomes peccati), which God, through his mercy, permits.
He does so both to forestall our falling into presumption and because it is his will that we reach heaven after winning in the ascetical struggle.
Grace addresses the disorder within us. Sin wounds human nature and makes moral balance difficult, but Christ's salvation offers the grace necessary to persevere in pursuing virtue. Thus, we should always ask for the grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.
Tendencies may remain, but sin need not “reign.”
So, the goal is not “never feel disorder,” but not to be ruled by it—to be healed, strengthened, and to choose the good in real, concrete ways.
Temptations can be overcome, and keeping God’s law is never impossible. God does not command the impossible—rather, He tells you to do what you can and pray for what you cannot.
Grace therefore supports a real spiritual battle: it gives strength to persevere, not just advice or encouragement.
The Church also links grace to cooperation: you struggle “with grace from on high” to obtain what God promises, and with grace you prevail over the seductions of pleasure and power.
And St. Augustine emphasizes the same point: Do not place confidence in yourself alone, but in God—grace causes sin not to reign.
In short: disorderly tendencies can be fought because grace is truly effective, and obedience to God remains genuinely achievable.
We can always avoid sin with God’s grace. For example, all expression of same-sex sexual desire is sinful, like consenting to a thought or desire. It therefore follows that we should not identify the person itself with its same-sex attractions, for to do so would be to say that we cannot resist them.
Such attractions are something that people ‘have,’ never something that they ‘are.’
Grace does not only act on the will at the moment of temptation; it also heals the appetite from which the disordered desire arises: healing grace (gratia sanans) acts upon nature, correcting it.
We must not try to change the Church doctrine to call ‘holy’ any disorderly inclinations. Rather, we should help people overcome any objectively sinful inclinations with charity and without being judgmental.
There are organizations (like Courage) that offer this specialized help. This is the Christian understanding of man and grace.