In my previous post, I wrote: “How well do you know the Catholic Christian Faith? In each of the following pairs of assertions, one is dogma or at least a well-established doctrine and the other is heresy or at least a serious doctrinal error. Choose wisely.”

The answers to these 21 questions are all choice B.

There were two questions that everyone got wrong, 1 and 2.

1A. All grace is unmerited
1B. Some grace is merited.

I think everyone said A, as if all grace is unmerited. But the Church definitively teaches that we can merit some graces.

CCC 2027 “No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.”

And Canon 32 of the Council of Trent’s Decree on Justification infallibly taught that we “truly merit increase of grace” and condemned the opposing idea, that we do not merit grace (or anything else).

2A. The Virgin Mary cooperated with all graces given to her by God.
2B. The Virgin Mary did not cooperate with all graces given to her by God.

There are two types of actual grace:
a. operating grace (also called prevenient)
b. cooperating grace (also called subsequent)

No one can cooperate with prevenient (operating grace), and so Mary did not cooperate with all graces given to her.

The same division applies to habitual grace:
a. operating grace (also called prevenient)
b. cooperating grace (also called subsequent)

When we are first brought into the state of grace, whether in baptism as an infant or in adult baptism, the initial reception of that grace is prevenient. Then, as we continue in the state of grace we cooperate with that state. So Mary’s initial justification at her Immaculate Conception was also not a type of grace with which she could or did cooperate.

Another common point of confusion was #4.

In Heaven, the Elect clearly behold the triune God as he is…
4A. all persons equally, and none more perfectly than another.
4B. one person more perfectly than another, according to the difference of their merits.

The Ecumenical Council of Florence infallibly taught that the Blessed in Heaven “see clearly the one and triune God Himself, just as He is, yet according to the diversity of merits, one more perfectly than another.”

A couple of people got #5 wrong:

5A. An act cannot be known to be immoral without knowing the intentions of the person and the circumstances of the act.
5B. An act can be known to be immoral without knowing the intentions of the person and the circumstances of the act.

There are three fonts of morality:
1. intention
2. moral object (the type of act in terms of morality)
3. circumstances

If the moral object is evil, then the act is necessarily always objectively immoral, regardless of intention or circumstances. If a person mistakenly thinks that the type of the act is moral, it might not be an actual sin for that person due to invincible ignorance. But the act remains intrinsically evil.

The same answer applies to #6

6A. An act can be known to be moral solely by knowing the intentions of the person and the circumstances of the act.
6B. An act cannot be known to be moral solely by knowing the intentions of the person and the circumstances of the act.

You need to know the moral object (the moral nature of the act) in order to know that it is moral. All three fonts of morality must be good for any act to be moral.

On the teaching authority of the Church:

9A. All the teachings of the Magisterium are infallible and necessarily without any error.
9B. Only certain teachings of the Magisterium are infallible; other teachings may err to some extent.

The Magisterium has clearly taught that some teachings of the Magisterium are non-infallible.

Pope John Paul II: “With respect to the non-infallible expressions of the authentic magisterium of the Church, these should be received with religious submission of mind and will.”

Cardinal Ratzinger talks about the non-infallible non-irreformable teachings of the Magisterium in Donum Veritatis.

The U.S. Bishops discuss the non-infallible teaching authority of the Magisterium in “On Human Life in Our Day”.

10A. Everything the Pope teaches is infallible.
10B. Only certain teachings of the Pope are infallible.

The First Vatican Council infallible taught that the Pope’s teaching is only infallible when certain criteria are met. The mere fact that the Pope is teaching is not sufficient.

11A. The Bible is only infallible in its teachings on faith, morals, and salvation.
11B. The Bible is infallible in all that it asserts as true, even on matters of physical science and history.

See this set of quotes: Seven Words on the Inerrancy of Sacred Scripture. Several Popes have condemned the idea that inerrancy is limited to matters of faith, morals, or salvation. It is true that the primary focus of Scripture is to inform us in matter of faith, morals, and salvation. But this does NOT imply that any assertions that happen to be made on history or science are false.

12A. Individual Bishops teach infallibly whenever they teach what the Pope also teaches.
12B. Individual Bishops do not have the prerogative of infallibility.

Choice B is a quote from Second Vatican Council. The mere fact that a Pope teaches an idea is not sufficient for the idea to be infallible.

13A. newly Baptized adults must go to confession if they committed any mortal sins prior to Baptism.
13B. newly Baptized adults need not confess any sins committed prior to Baptism.

Baptism forgives all sins and all punishment due for sin, so a newly baptized adult need not confess any sins committed prior to Baptism.

At the consecration of the holy Eucharist during Mass…
14A. the substance of the bread changes into the body, blood, soul, and Divinity of Christ.
14B. the substance of the bread only changes into the substance of the body of Christ; the rest of Christ becomes present in some other way.

B is the teaching of the Council of Trent. The rest of Christ becomes present by concomitancy, in other words, because Christ is one Person. So where the substance of His body is, so also is the rest of Christ.

If you commit an actual mortal sin and thereby fall from the state of grace, and next you repent with perfect contrition….
15A. you do not return to the state of grace until you receive the Sacrament of Confession.
15B. you return to the state of grace immediately, but you must still go to Confession, if you are able.

With perfect contrition, you immediately return to the state of grace, per the Council of Trent.

If you commit an actual mortal sin and thereby fall from the state of grace, and next you repent with imperfect contrition….
16A. you return to the state of grace immediately, but you must still go to Confession, if you are able.
16B. you do not return to the state of grace until you receive the Sacrament of Confession.

With imperfect contrition, you do not return to the state of grace until and unless you also receive Confession (or in some cases Extreme Unction).

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.