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V e r s e b y V e r s e
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This Rock
Volume 4, Number 10
 October 1993 
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MOST Protestants--and this is especially
true of those known for their anti-Catholic views--reject the
Catholic doctrine of infused grace, claiming God does not infuse
grace into us but merely imputes favor to us. Yet most of
these Protestants do not know what the term "infuse" means. To
infuse means to pour into, to pour upon, or to pour out. Catholics
use the term because the Bible speaks of God "pouring" his
graces and gifts. Those who receive them are said to be "full
of" or "filled with" the graces. This applies to the
gifts of the Holy Spirit and to lesser graces:
"I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh
. . . on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour
out my Spirit" (Acts 2:17-18).
"And when they had prayed, the place in which
they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit" (Acts 4:31).
"And Stephen, full of grace and power, did
great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8).
"The believers . . . who came with Peter
were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out
even on the Gentiles" (Acts 10:45).
"For [Barnabas] was a good man, full of the
Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large company was added to the Lord"
(Acts 11:24).
"And hope does not disappoint us, because
God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit"
(Rom. 5:5).
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that
is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18).
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Catholic Answers
