Grace and mercy are gifts we receive from God. Which one do you want? Which one do you need? Can we have one without the other? They are gifts, unmerited, given out of love for us from the one who created us. And do we accept these gifts?
Life often brings us trials and difficulties that may not seem humanly possible to deal with or overcome. St. Paul acknowledges that he is only able to do what he does because of God’s grace. If so great a saint knows this and acts by relying on God’s grace, I think we can do the same.
A few months ago, we were yet again in the midst of caring for a family member with health problems and an opportunity presented itself that I very much wanted to pursue. I hesitated, I started putting conditions down, and then I prayed and decided to move forward, relying on God’s grace. I knew that if I did not begin going forward, God could not move forward either. I believe that when we can trust in God’s grace, even in the smallest way, we are given more and more grace.
God gives us grace to do what He calls us to and then he gives us mercy, another gift. Mercy can be seen so beautifully in the person of Christ. In the Gospel, Luke tells us the story of a sinful woman, who represents all of us. We are all sinful. The type of sin is not the focus. Mercy is the focus. When we turn to Jesus and have sorrow for our sins and ask for forgiveness, we receive mercy. Those in the story who were more concerned with sin did not see their own sin, only the other’s sin, so they missed out on mercy. Like grace, we must accept mercy, humbly accept the mercy we are given so that we do not continue in our sinfulness.
In our humanness, we sometimes reject mercy – out of a false belief that the sin is too big or we are not worthy. That is a lie. Do not reject mercy. Jesus wants to give you this amazing gift. And then, he wants us to give it to others. The next time you are in need of grace or mercy, ask for it. God delights in giving us good things, in loving us, in helping us. He is a God of grace and mercy.
Daily Reading
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest Reading 1 Eccl 3:1-11 There is an appointed time for everything,and a time for every thing under the heavens.A time…
Saint of the Day
Saint Vincent de Paul
Saint Vincent de Paul, born in 1580, founded the Lazarists. Captured by pirates, his faith led to numerous charitable endeavors.
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