The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God\u2019s Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard copy, see the end of this post:<\/em> <\/p>\nGrace has a way of sneaking up on us and, if we\u2019re not paying attention, slipping right past us. <\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s hard to define, we typically recognize grace after the fact, in the people and events that show up on our life journey just when we need them most\u2014or maybe when we don\u2019t want them at all but need them despite our objections. Grace can be both mystical and maddening, in-your-face and ever-elusive, transforming and tenuous. Grace is the Spirit moving through our lives, a touch of the divine within our grasp. How would you define grace? It\u2019s not an easy question. In fact, it\u2019s one that can sometimes even make a spiritual person squirm because it can force us to give concrete qualities to an ineffable reality.<\/p>\n
Defining Grace
\n<\/strong>
\n\u201cAfter years teaching religion to seventh- and eighth-graders, I have asked many students to write flashcards defining the word \u2018grace,\u2019 and the definition we usually work with is \u2018friendship with God\u2019 or \u2018participation in the life of God.\u2019 Grace is a gift of God, but it is not simply the presence of God, whom we know is always present,\u201d says Margaret Felice, a soprano, religious educator and blogger based in New England. \u201cGrace involves our response to that presence, our awareness of it, and our entering into it. When I am made aware of God in a particular way, that is a moment of grace.\u201d <\/p>\nFelice\u2019s family suffered a terrible loss a few years ago, with two family members dying sudden and violent deaths. Although she says the experience was \u201cshattering,\u201d she also found moments of grace in the midst of it. \u201cI found God in so many places: in the strength and faith of my family members, in the mercy I found in my own heart, and in the way our brokenness was knit back together. These were brutal lessons that I would rather not have had to learn, but there was a sacredness in them,\u201d she says. \u201cDealing with my own illness for the last three years, I am still exploring the way that my wounds bind me closer to Christ. I don\u2019t always recognize it and even when I do I can\u2019t really articulate it, but those flashes of union are deep. I too am blessed and broken.\u201d <\/p>\n
For Felice, who has degrees in theology and music, recognizing grace takes regular practice. \u201cThe first step for me is getting out of myself and my own concerns and simply observing the world around me. I am more likely to be gobsmacked by grace at a random moment during the day than to experience it deeply during times of intentional private prayer, but I still try to be disciplined about making time for prayer so that I balance those two opportunities: finding God in the everyday, and setting aside specific moments to cultivate that relationship.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany describes grace as \u201ca favor, a free love-gift from God that is unearned.\u201d He continues, \u201cIn its most fundamental sense, grace is the gift of God\u2019s own self. As creator, however, God is free to give us graces in various modes or forms such as sacramental grace, which is built-in, so to speak, to a specific sacrament \u2014 or actual grace, which is spontaneously crafted by God as a personal gift. Every kind of grace offered, if freely accepted\u2014which is always necessary \u2014 draws the receiver into the very life and mystery of God.\u201d <\/p>\n
People who are tuned into grace will often tell others to \u201cwatch\u201d for moments of grace to appear in their lives, to open their minds to the transcendent possibilities that are sometimes obscured by our own agendas, plans, and busyness. If you think back on your life, you are likely to spot moments of supernatural grace that you hardly gave a second thought at the time. The real gift is when we spot those moments as they happen, aware of God\u2019s presence in the day-to-day moments of our lives. \u201cMy greatest \u2018moments of grace\u2019 are in looking back and realizing the grace I received,\u201d admits Bishop Scharfenberger, who remembers how difficult it was for him to give up smoking when he was in his twenties. Now, however, he realizes that his struggles at the time gave him insight into the problem of addiction, which has made him better able to accompany others through their own ups and downs with addictive behavior.<\/p>\n
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound<\/strong><\/p>\nJohn Newton was a sailor and slave trader known as \u201cThe Great Blasphemer.\u201d His coarseness was the stuff of legend, but one day in 1848 when he was at the helm of a ship battered by a brutal storm, something changed. He recalled later that \u201c[o]n that day the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.\u201d From that day on, he began to pray and study Scripture, and slowly his life was transformed. He even became an advocate for abolishing the slave trade. <\/p>\n
Newton eventually became a minister and would write hymns for his congregation as part of his larger lesson for the week. Out of that practice came the hymn most of us can sing without needing a song sheet: \u201cAmazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found; was blind but now I see.\u201d Each of us has at least a smidgen of John Newton living somewhere deep down inside, a person in need of saving. If we are open to grace, if we believe as Newton came to believe, despite all our outward flaws, grace will appear and lead us home.<\/p>\n
Learning to Be Grace-Full<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.\u201d \u2014 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
\n<\/em>
\nDenise Bossert, syndicated columnist and Catholic author, says that, in her life, grace has led to conversion \u2014 her own, her husband\u2019s, her two daughters\u2019, and her grandsons\u2019 baptisms. She has even seen grace intervene and change the direction of her career, opening doors to writing and sending her on journeys she never planned to make to places like the Holy Land, Jordan, Poland, and Mexico. <\/p>\n\u201cGrace has changed a mundane day into a day bursting with activity. It has also changed a day I thought would be packed with activity and rendered it quiet and incredibly peaceful,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it\u2019s not fate or randomness, because the changes themselves fit like pieces of a puzzle into the greater picture. Grace is like that \u2014 a puzzle piece that looks like it doesn\u2019t belong. And then, you realize that it does. Perfectly.\u201d <\/p>\n
Bossert says that grace is when God shows up and she can sense His presence. She sees things a little clearer, has a stronger sense of which direction to take and a richer sense of purpose. \u201cHans Urs Von Balthasar wrote this great book \u2018Truth is Symphonic.\u2019 The premise is that truth comes to us in a number of different ways and that we know it because it sounds like instruments playing together in a symphony. It works together, makes sense together, fits together. Grace is like that. It comes from a number of different venues \u2014 though God is the source of it all,\u201d Bossert explains. \u201cGod speaks something to my heart, and it comes again from another place or another person. But it is the same voice, God\u2019s voice. And all the sounds of grace come together and fit together and make sense together. So, at the risk of mixing metaphors, it\u2019s like the swell of music in a symphony, and it is also like a tidal wave. A sea of grace.\u201d <\/p>\n
Grace even finds its way into song lyrics and rock performances. Bono, front man for the band U2, has written a beautiful song about grace, with words that get to the heart of its complexity: \u201cGrace makes beauty out of ugly things. Grace finds beauty in everything.\u201d In an interview on the topic, Bono, who often talks about his own faith life and his relationship with Jesus, says what keeps him on his knees is the \u201cdifference between karma and grace.\u201d <\/p>\n
Pointing to the world\u2019s eye-for-an-eye mentality, he says the grace of God turns all of that on its head. \u201cAlong comes this idea called grace to upend all that \u2018as you reap, so you will sow\u2019 stuff. Grace defies reason and logic,\u201d Bono explains. \u201cLove interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I\u2019ve done a lot of stupid stuff.\u201d The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that grace is the \u201cfree and undeserved help that God gives us.\u201d So how do we make sure we don\u2019t have our eyes closed when grace shows up in our lives?<\/p>\n
States of Grace
\n<\/strong>
\n\u201cFor grace is given not because we have done good works, but in order that we may be able to do them.\u201d \u2014 St. Augustine of Hippo<\/em><\/p>\nMost experts say that the only way to ground our lives in grace is through prayer. Without it we cannot hear God\u2019s voice above the din of daily life and our own desires. \u201cIt\u2019s indispensable. Prayer is turning our face to God. Unless we let God look at us\u2014and into us\u2014 how can we accept we will \u2018see\u2019 the grace we want or need?\u201d asks Bishop Scharfenberger. \u201cIt\u2019s all about trusting God to be God and recognizing that we are in relationship with a God who IS Love itself. I think we miss grace whenever we treat God in a mechanical way, attempting to control the goods God has to give as if God were a faucet or a vending machine. It\u2019s good to ask God for favors, of course, and God will always answer our prayers in the way that is best for us. But we have to let God be God and be willing to let go so that God can change us, so we are able to receive the grace in store for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
To receive a pdf or mailed copy of \u201cOpening Yourself to God\u2019s Grace\u201d \u2013 or to subscribe to Christopher News Notes via email or snail mail \u2013 send your request to radio@christophers.org<\/a>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God\u2019s Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard copy, see the end of this post: Grace has a way of sneaking up on us and, if we\u2019re not paying attention, slipping right past us. Although […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":488,"featured_media":7051,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,22,44,17,40,32,1],"tags":[93,99,113,95,111,106],"class_list":["post-7049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible","category-books","category-catholic","category-christopher-news-notes","category-inspiration","category-prayer","category-uncategorized","tag-bible","tag-books","tag-catholic","tag-christopher-news-notes","tag-inspiration","tag-prayer"],"yoast_head":"\n
Opening Yourself to God's Grace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opening Yourself to God's Grace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Christopher Closeup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-06T15:01:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-01-07T13:59:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/121\/2016\/01\/OpenGodsGrace.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"264\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"586\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tony Rossi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tony Rossi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/\",\"name\":\"Opening Yourself to God's Grace\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-06T15:01:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-07T13:59:33+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/9215d33862959dfe2334a97a802ebf1d\"},\"description\":\"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opening Yourself to God’s Grace\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/\",\"name\":\"Christopher Closeup\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/9215d33862959dfe2334a97a802ebf1d\",\"name\":\"Tony Rossi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef58b23d79989facf5779819377620d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef58b23d79989facf5779819377620d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tony Rossi\"},\"description\":\"After graduating from St. John's University in New York with degrees in Communications and English, Tony Rossi found a job at the Catholic media organization, The Christophers, that allowed him to indulge his interest in religion, media, and pop culture. He served as The Christophers' TV producer for 11 years, and is currently the host and producer of the organization's radio show\/podcast Christopher Closeup, writer and editor of their syndicated Light One Candle column, and producer\/scriptwriter of the annual Christopher Awards ceremony.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/author\/tonyrossi\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opening Yourself to God's Grace","description":"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opening Yourself to God's Grace","og_description":"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/","og_site_name":"Christopher Closeup","article_published_time":"2016-01-06T15:01:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-01-07T13:59:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":264,"height":586,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/121\/2016\/01\/OpenGodsGrace.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tony Rossi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tony Rossi","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/","name":"Opening Yourself to God's Grace","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-01-06T15:01:13+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-07T13:59:33+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/9215d33862959dfe2334a97a802ebf1d"},"description":"The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God's Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/2016\/01\/opening-yourself-to-gods-grace\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opening Yourself to God’s Grace"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/","name":"Christopher Closeup","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/9215d33862959dfe2334a97a802ebf1d","name":"Tony Rossi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef58b23d79989facf5779819377620d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ef58b23d79989facf5779819377620d3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tony Rossi"},"description":"After graduating from St. John's University in New York with degrees in Communications and English, Tony Rossi found a job at the Catholic media organization, The Christophers, that allowed him to indulge his interest in religion, media, and pop culture. He served as The Christophers' TV producer for 11 years, and is currently the host and producer of the organization's radio show\/podcast Christopher Closeup, writer and editor of their syndicated Light One Candle column, and producer\/scriptwriter of the annual Christopher Awards ceremony.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/author\/tonyrossi\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/488"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/christophers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"OpenGodsGrace\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/121\/2016\/01\/OpenGodsGrace.jpg\")
<\/a>The following is the text of the Christopher News Note \u201cOpening Yourself to God\u2019s Grace\u201d (which was written by a freelancer). If you\u2019d like a pdf or hard copy, see the end of this post:<\/em> <\/p>\n