Perhaps I speak too much about grace.
Every subject, problem, or prayer brings me back to this same place.  The amazing grace of God.

​I’ll never forget the first time I contemplated the meaning of this word – grace.  I was standing before 25 or so women.  It was my very first time leading a group in faith sharing/bible study.  The PANIC I felt in my heart when I realized I HAD absolutely NO words to express what grace meant to me.   Stumped, I threw the question back to the crowd – like I planned it all along to have. The wonderful teaching technique Jesus perfected – returning questions with a question. Let me look like I meant for them discover the meaning of grace through discussion; but really was just deflecting.

One of the more wise woman among the group shared that grace to her was, “God breathing within her spirit. It was how he communicated to her heart – and guided her way.”  That explanation is simply … Beautiful.

A few additional elements about the grace of God revealed over the years; which I have add to that initial incredibly insightful and inspiring definition of grace:

• It is UNMERITED.  I can do NOTHING to earn it.
• It is FREELY given.  It is GIFT!  The surprise squirrel in the mail – kind of gift!
• It is a part of God – his HOLY SPIRIT – now living in me!
• If I SEEK it – then I will FIND it;
• It can be FOUND in abundance with time spent participating in the Grace Trifecta of  Prayer, Sacrament & Scripture;
• There is an ABUNDANCE all waiting for the asking; and I do not wish to leave any grace unused.

My holiness panela (*Portuguese for pan) will soon be overflowing with the great many ingredients we’ve been highlighting in this #Recipe4Holiness series, as taught to us by Pope Francis.  Just recently someone reported to me a YouTube video they discovered that taught “the path to sainthood”.  It instructed watchers to pray the Rosary 3 x a day; that once a day was for children.  Whoa.  Then guess what, I am taking the little kid way to Heaven.  As even with my best intentions to pray the rosary daily; there are many days that it does to make it into my ‘to do’ list. Prayer always does; but not always the formulaic prayers of the faith that I cherish but can not always attend to.   Dishes, work and well sleep, sometimes get in my way!

Yet grace … abounds.  Gratefully, God is beyond our formulas. I imagine He is more than happy to shower me in grace, even when I am having one of those days when I can utter only a barely audible:

“Abba, Father, I could use a little help down here.“