RANDOM STUFF 2 The Mysterious Workings of Grace By Father Jim Van Vurst, OFM, Aug 21, 2014 When speaking of the word grace, it is important to clarify what grace really is. Grace is not something that we get from God. Grace is actually God working within our whole person. Sometimes you hear people speak as though God would ladle out grace. Rather, grace is the presence of God within us. Grace is God’s presence and strength given to us at particular times when we are called to act virtuously. But in all cases, grace is a result of our responding to God’s inner presence within us or God’s assistance in living our lives as Christians. Grace is the dynamic action of God within. As believers, we try to live out Gospel values to which Jesus calls us each day of our lives. We are always growing in union with God. It is not a matter of “carrying God inside us.” That would be too mechanical. It’s better to say that we are filled with God’s presence within us—along with our weaknesses and imperfections. What this means is that the Lord is always touching our hearts. For example, we may not always remember the Scripture readings at Mass, but our intention to be there will still allow those words to have an effect on us. The goodness of God’s Word has an effect on us, too. We receive Communion and, as it can happen, we discover that we were distracted during those sacred moments. We need not fear that nothing happened during that time. We do not make grace happen in us. We intend each moment to be with God, to live good lives, and to allow God to be active and dynamic within us. We may not feel its effect, but God touches us nonetheless. Open House at the Rectory—next weekend I will have an open house after both Masses at the rectory so you can see the improvements we made. Please plan to stop by! REMINDER There will be no 5:00pm Mass on September 20th. Mass will be at 4:00pm with confession at 3:00pm.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 22:44:42 +0000
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