The Healing Journey

November 15, 2023

The word “grace” is so common that sometimes it seems to have lost its meaning. Eric could never quite understand what it was, although he remembered what he memorized from the Baltimore Catechism.

The questions and answers were embedded in his brain: “What is grace? Grace is a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us through the merits of Jesus Christ for our salvation. How many kinds of grace are there? There are two kinds of grace: sanctifying grace and actual grace.”

He knew the definitions, but whenever someone asked him what grace was, he’d promptly respond: “I don’t really know what grace is, all I know is that it works, and it’s the most powerful force in the world and out of the world.”

There was an addendum to his explanation: “You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, and you can’t barter for it. It’s free, and all you have to do is ask for it.”

Throughout his life, he’s convinced there were key moments when he was given the grace to do something he could not have done on his own.

The time he reconciled with his father, shortly before he died when he was sure they would both go to the grave embittered. To this day, he still cannot explain what happened, only that the anger in his heart seemed to melt away and was filled only with love.

The time he was overwhelmed with grief over the death of a close friend. He was inconsolable, but every so often, he would ask and peace would come. He knew that ultimately everything was going to be all right. It didn’t take away his pain, but it calmed his heart.

Whenever one of those occasions arose, he would immediately pray, “Lord send me grace to get through this please!” And the relief always came.

Yes, grace is amazing, as the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” said. Without it there’s no life in our souls, and with it, we can do things we could never do on our own.

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