On Grace

“…and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5

I love this quote. It brings me such comfort. I hope it does that for you, too. That love which has been poured out into our hearts is only done by our acceptance of it. Only through surrender to the One who sacrificed His very life for us, can we receive and hold that love that is God’s grace in our hearts.

God’s grace gives us joy, brings us peace, gives us hope, releases us from the bondage of sin, and turns us into lovers because the Love, which God is, fills us up and spills over. Then we can love others and bring that joy, peace, hope, and forgiveness to everyone else we know or meet.

Don Schwager, whose writings often appear on my Laudate app every day along with the  Mass readings for the day, said as much yesterday.

“God gives us the grace to love as he loves, to forgive as he forgives, to think as he thinks, and to act as he acts.” – Don Schwager

That grace provides the hope that never disappoints. I wrote about God’s grace, the unfathomable immenseness of it, in my 2012 book, Drowning in Lemonade. Here’s the excerpt.

             I met Sister Salwatricze, who lives and works at the Divine Mercy shrine outside of Krakow, Poland when she was the keynote speaker at our 2005 Fall MCCW Conference. Her words, every time she spoke, moved me. She is truly blessed by God in her ability to explain Jesus’ Divine Mercy to people. Her words reach down into the recesses of the heart. It was an amazing experience.                  

            She described a painting to illustrate the magnificence of the Holy Spirit, the profound impact he can have on our lives. The painting is of a man holding up a small cup to catch the water that is a huge tidal wave about to fall upon him. That’s God’s grace. We get as much as we are open to accept. If we are not holding back or holding out, or holding too tightly to things that keep us from accepting all the Grace God is offering each one of us, amazing things will happen. Exciting things, miraculous things.

             The little cup will only hold a tiny portion of what is being offered to us by the Holy Spirit. We shouldn’t deny ourselves what the Lord is offering. If we desire it and allow it, we are engulfed, we are completely submerged in God’s grace. “Don’t be afraid!” Jesus says it – we should heed His instructions. “Don’t be afraid.”  We should find His words comforting. You don’t know what will happen but with faith and trust whatever happens, it’s not by chance. Faith leads us into the unknown with courage and strength…knowing that God is with us through it all.