“The line separating good and evil passes not through
states, nor between political parties either – but right through every human
heart.”
Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn,
the Gulag
Archipelago
Saturday, April 2, 2022
April 2, 2022
Thought for Today
“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the
worst kind of heart trouble.”
Bob Hope
April 2, 2022
Reflection
April 1, 2022
Thought for Today
“How old would you be, if you didn’t know how old you
was.”
Satchel Paige
April 1, 2022
Reflection
Thursday, March 31, 2022
March 31, 2022
GRACE AND ACCEPTANCE
Religious words, religious language, often is a foreign
language. We go to church, and we hear words like Pentecost,
Paraclete, Paschal, Eschatology, Charism, Grace …. Yes, grace. It’s one of those words that might slip by as a word to
make fun of when we make fun or are critical of religious language. What does “grace” mean? It’s abstract – not specific or particular – like the
words, “bicycle” or “orange”. Those words are heard, and we picture a bicycle or an orange. When we say, “Haill Mary, full of grace”, what do we
picture when we say “grace”? How about “grace” in the words, “Amazing grace, how sweet
the sound”? Grace? Saying “Hail Mary, full of grace” or “Ave Maria, gratia
plena”, sometimes the word “grace” or “gratia” grabs me.So too when I hear the word “grace” in the
song “Amazing grace”, sometimes I’m amazed at God’s love for me. Grace? What does “grace” mean? For me, somewhere along the line, the word “acceptance”began to appear or tag along with the word
“grace”. I know “acceptance” brings alone a lot more or less, depending on the
moment.Yet “acceptance” is enough for
me. God accepted Mary.God accepts me. Both of us are full of grace as a result.Both of us then give birth to Jesus in our
world. That’s amazing. Amazing grace. I tell a secret about someone behind their back. For
example, I tell another about the time this person got a dumb parking
ticket.Nobody in our crowd knew about
it – but now they do. They begin kidding this person about the time they got a
ticket. We say, “Uh oh!” We go to that person and ask their forgiveness for what
we did to them.We listen to their anger
towards us.Then they forgive us. We
feel more acceptable to them – as well as to ourselves. The Prodigal Son comes home. He is accepted unconditionally – no speeches – just total
acceptance from his father.However, his
brother won’t forgive him – or for that matter – won’t forgive his father. This older brother falls from grace – from being graceful. When we are accepted, we walk taller and straighter. We
are more graceful. We sing better. We are more relaxed. We have more peace. Amazing grace …. how sweet the sound….
