IS ROMAN CATHOLICISM LURCHING TOWARD APOSTASY...IS GRACE TRANSFERED HUMAN TO HUMAN NOT FROM GOD

Attending a Christmas Eve Vigil Mass this year, I heard an odd message from the priest. Commenting on the verse that "grace and truth come from Jesus Christ...", he asked what is grace? I thought, surely he would just say, God's unmerited favor to men, as noted in Luke 2:14, "grace to His people on earth." But no, he indicated grace was in a person. Jesus had grace in His human nature just like Mary. He then went on to say that grace flows from human to human, utilizing the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

I had to leave by this point as it was increasingly repulsive. Additionally, this Roman Catholic church had photos of Mary plastered around the church, about as many as there were of Jesus. The same in a prayer room! The priest said Jesus was the Son of God and the son of Mary (not Son of Man).

If grace is transferred from human to human, then can God not be left out of the picture? Just receive the 7 sacraments, it seems, whether or not God is involved.

JOHN MACARTHUR'S COMMENTS, per Grok AI, on the matter provide some perspective, and "...the other side of the story..." per Proverbs 18:17:

John MacArthur, a prominent Protestant pastor and theologian, has extensively criticized the Roman Catholic doctrine of grace being infused or transferred through the seven sacraments (such as baptism,Eucharist, confirmation, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony), which are typicallyadministered by priests as human mediators. He views this as a heretical system that undermines thebiblical principle of justification by faith alone, mixing grace with human works and rituals, and effectivelynullifying the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work on the cross.In his article on Roman Catholicism, MacArthur describes the Catholic view as one where "justification is a process in which God’s grace is poured forth into the sinner’s heart... The means by which justification isinitially obtained is not faith, but the sacrament of baptism." He argues that this approach treatsrighteousness as something infused progressively through sacraments and good works, rather than imputed instantaneously by faith in Christ. He contrasts it with Scripture, stating, "The Bible teaches thatjustification means righteousness is imputed, not infused... The only merit God accepts for salvation is that of Jesus Christ; nothing man can ever do could earn God’s favor or add anything to the merit of Christ." MacArthur concludes that such a sacramental system "nullifies the grace of God, for if meritorious righteousness canbe earned through the sacraments, 'then Christ died needlessly' (Gal. 2:21)." In his sermon "The Doctrine of Saving Faith, Part 2," MacArthur explicitly addresses the infusion of grace via human-administered sacraments, portraying it as a false gospel: "Grace is infused to you through infantbaptism. Grace is infused to you every time you go to the Mass. Grace is infused to you through all the other sacraments. You get this little infusing, this injection of grace." He further explains the Catholic perspective as one where "God’s grace is poured forth into the sinner’s heart through the sacraments, through various masses and experiences like that, religious ceremonies. The person then receiving this grace mixes this grace with his own effort and his own works." MacArthur rejects this as denying salvation by faith alone, insisting that true grace comes directly from God without humanmediation or ceremonial injections.
Regarding the central sacrament of the Eucharist (Mass), in his sermon "Explaining the Heresy of theCatholic Mass, Part 1," MacArthur criticizes the priest's role in transferring grace, quoting Catholic teaching that "the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal victim for the sins of man, not once but a thousand times." He argues this ongoing sacrifice contradicts the Bible's teaching of Christ's once-for-all atonement, and that grace is not conveyed through such human-led rituals.In Part 2 of the same sermon series, he dismisses the idea outright: "There is no salvation orsanctification in the blessed Sacrament. There is no salvation in any Sacrament of any kind in any ritual,any routine, or any ceremony." He labels the Mass as "mystical mumbo-jumbo" and a "pagan corruption" where priests claim power to infuse God into elements, placing divine grace "entirely at their disposal." MacArthur emphasizes that biblical grace is accessed solely through faith in Christ's completed work, nottransferred via priests or sacraments.
I concur....but it seems this priest takes another step, elbowing out God and the power of God more!