Grace, Actual and Habitual: A Dogmatic Treatise

Grace, Actual and Habitual is a rigorous 1915 examination of two foundational concepts in Catholic soteriology: the transient supernatural assistance that enables good works, and the enduring state of sanctification that makes the soul pleasing to God. Pohle, a renowned dogmatic theologian, constructs his argument with precision, tracing the distinctions between these two modes of divine assistance while wrestling with one of theology's most persistent tensions: how grace can act upon the human will without violating human freedom. The treatise engages the great theological tradition, drawing on Augustine and Aquinas to clarify how divine generosity interacts with human agency in the drama of salvation. Pohle insists on grace's gratuitousness, it is unearned, universal in scope, yet mysteriously compatible with human choice. For readers willing to engage its technical vocabulary, the work offers not merely doctrinal exposition but a profound meditation on what it means to be helped from beyond oneself.