What is Grace?

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

St. Francis

We celebrate St. Francis on October 4. He was the founder of the Franciscan Order and embraced the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. The prayer below is a favorite of mine!

Prayer before the Crucifix

Most High, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out
Your holy and true command. Amen.

Grace

  • underserved gift or help freely and lovingly provided by God, but above all the utterly basic gift of being saved in Christ through faith, a grace that God wishes to give all human beings
  • Brings us new birth and gift of the Holy Spirit
  • Makes us a new creation
  • Transforms human nature
  • Anticipates a future in heaven

from A Concise Dictionary of Theology, O’Collins and Farrugia, S.J.

What does a parking lot have to do with grace? Listen and you’ll find out!

Types of Grace

  • Sacramental – the graces we receive through the sacraments
  • Efficacious – Grace offered by God and freely accepted
  • Sanctifying or Habitual – being made holy by the Holy Spirit, always with us; God sharing his divine life with us
  • Actual – a specific grace supplied for a particular need or reason
  • Special – also called charisms, which we are given to help build up the Church

Why do we need Grace?

  • it helps us respond to God’s call to be his
  • It gives us an awareness of sin and the ability to avoid it
  • to live out our daily life, as each of us is individually called to do
  • Takes our natural gifts, makes them more usable and to the service of God and others

What are the effects of Grace?

HOLINESS! And we all want to be a bit holier, right?

This week, pray St. Francis’ prayer above.

Interested in having me speak to your group? Let me know; I’d love to come in person or virtually!

 

Better, with God

A Production of the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network.

Micro Changes

Small changes can help us change our habits. Changing our habits leads us to better outcomes. We can break big changes or shifts into small segments and increase over time. We do not have to do it all at once. This can set us up for failure, rather than success.

You are the average of the five habits you repaet most.  James Clear

Scripture  

The Ten Commandments are all great foundations for good habits! Read Exodus 20 for God’s instructions.

Put God first, don’t swear, go to Church on Sundays, honor your parents, be faithful, don’t lie – all good habits for living your life in way that honors God and others, and yourself.

The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. Luke 16:10

Day by Day

The song, If You Want Your Dream to Be…(San Damiano Song) By Donovan really fits well here, so please excuse the 70s throwback to my youth. This is not the scene I describe in the podcast, but the song itself.

If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginnings, greater ends, heartfelt work grows purely.

If you want to live life free, take your time, go slowly. Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy.

Day by day, stone by stone, build your secret slowly. Day by day, you’ll grow too, you’ll know heaven’s glory.

If you want your dream to be, build it slow and surely. Small beginnings, greater ends, heartfelt work grows purely. If you want to live life free, take your time go slowly.

In prayer, ask God where and how you can be better.

Would you like to discuss how to be better? Interested in joining us for the Pentecost Novena? Get in touch with me here.