God's Grace
Are
you aware of the “certainties” in your life? What can you really count on? We
live in a time of remarkable change so perhaps “change” may be one of the
certainties in your life. Living in a world of uncertainties we question, worry
and doubt arise. Our trust and faith may be shaky.
Last
summer I participated in a retreat as a team member. The particular theme was “Living in the
Certainty of Grace.” resonated with me and has been an inspiration of three
other retreats that I have led in the past six months. I realize that living in
the certainty of grace enables me to move into an unknown future with hope.
Grace is not a thing. According
to Karl Rahner “grace is the Spirit of God dwelling at the heart of our
existence.” Elizabeth Johnson says: “Grace is the animating force of all of
human history.” And Miriam Brown, one of
my Dominican sisters, says: “Grace is that in which we and all of creation
“live and move and have our being.”
Grace
is God’s presence within us and around us. Grace is always present. We have a
choice to accept or refuse this offer of closeness. When we choose to
consciously accept this presence we can remain calm and clear and open to love
and wisdom. With grace we have an innate courage.
I am drawn to Judy Cannoto’s message in her book: Field of Compassion.
She writes:
We live in a world of grace and that grace
itself is our essence…While I do not yet know what the future holds, I know the
process will continue to be filled with grace because that is who Mystery is
and what Mystery does.
How is God’s grace active in your life?
Mary Therese Johnson, OP
Westchester, Illinois
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