Editor's Note

Free grace

When I was a child, one of the first prayers I learned was the Hail Mary. So I’ve known for a long time that the Blessed Mother is "full of grace." Unfortunately, what I also learned was that I wasn’t. I grew up thinking only holy people had grace. On good days, maybe right after going to confession, I might have some temporary grace. But it was sure to seep away as soon as I got into an argument with one of my brothers or forgot to do a chore my mother asked me to do.

Of course, now we know better (don’t we?). In "A guide to grace: What is it, how do we get it, and what do we do with it?" Harry J. Dudley tells us that grace "is a gift from God, freely given. Grace is not something we are worthy of or that we can earn" (page 12 of this issue). Grace is God’s graciousness. The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults compares grace to the love a parent has for a child. Using a hug as an example, the document says:

The invisible reality the hug conveys is love. We cannot "see" the love the hug expresses, though sometimes we can see its nurturing effect in the child. (168)

Likewise, in the sacraments or other outward signs, we know God’s graciousness is real.

The invisible reality we cannot "see" is God’s grace, his gracious initiative in redeeming us through the death and Resurrection of his son. His initiative is called grace because it is the free and loving gift by which he offers people a share in his live, and show us his favor and will for our salvation. (168)

So, yes, Mary is indeed full of grace. And so are we. Every moment of every day, even if we’re having a not-so-great day and haven’t been to confession in a while. Dudley quotes St. Augustine, who helps us understand why this is always true. We can never earn grace by being good enough to deserve it. We strive to be holy, to do God’s will, because God loves us just as we are.

"God’s grace is as common as the air around us," says Dudley. "When we ask where it is or how to get it, we are like fish in a pond asking where is the water and how do we get to it?" RTJ

Nick Wagner
nwagner@bayard-us.com