Deacon Tom Writes,
“Amazing Grace”
Amazing
grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
John Newton wrote these words after
he experienced God's unmerited favor to lost souls. They flow from a heart
cleansed of its own sordid past and immersed in God’s healing graces.
Grace is part of the mystery of
God’s relationship with us, the high point of his creation. God is gracious (as
in God is grace), and so he bestows
grace upon us and indeed all his creation. It is freely given and nothing we do
can earn it. This is so because before we can even think of doing a good act,
God’s grace must first stir within us the desire to do that good act. God’s grace
moves us into action; that action then draws us ever deeper into a profound
relationship with God.
The 20th century
theologian, Karl Rahner, defined grace as “God’s personal self-communication to
humankind generally and to each individual”. In other words, grace is God
communicating his own personal self to us. This is an amazing reality in
itself: God is always seeking to communicate with each and every one of us!
Our human existence is marked by mortality and experiences
sin and guilt. Grace operates in our lives to help us desire our salvation, to
help us seek out a deeper and more personal relationship with our creator, and
indeed, to be in communion with him so we can be healed and forgiven. Grace is
the operative principle that enables us to, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
as St. Paul instructed the Philippians.
Most of us today are desperate
for God’s healing, compassionate, sustaining, yes, amazing grace in many
aspects of our lives… for physical or emotional healing, to mend broken or
hurting relationships, to calm our worries, fears, and anxieties about so many
things. It seems that we have found ourselves in a world where injustice,
ignorance, intolerance, and apathy surround us and we feel helpless to respond.
Now perhaps more than ever before we need God’s grace to enlighten our
consciences and guide us on our journey so that we may be instruments of his love,
mercy, and compassion.
Today’s gospel is a reminder
that we all can get lost along the way. We can easily turn our backs on God’s
amazing grace to do things “My Way” in the words of Frank Sinatra. We have lost
something precious and need to get busy trying to find it. We have all lost the
original state of grace we had when God made us. By living in the light of
Christ and cooperating with the many graces that are given to us in our
lifetime, we can be confident that grace will guide us every day of our life
and when life’s journey ends, “Grace will lead us home”.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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