The Blessed Virgin Mary was greeted by St. Gabriel the Archangel with the words, “Hail Mary full of Grace.” What is grace? For the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was her innate holiness and God’s indwelling and love. It is slightly different for us because of the sin of Adam and Eve. Grace is the indwelling and love of God bestowed on us through the merits of Jesus Christ. It is the love of God given to us who are undeserving.
We acquire Sanctifying Grace initially through Baptism and then through the reception of the sacraments. Our grace is not static. It increases as we continue to perform good acts, go to Mass and receive the sacraments particularly of Penance and Holy Communion. Grace increases as our self diminishes. And as grace increases, our degree of happiness in heaven will also increase, because our beatific vision will increase.
What does grace do to us? First, grace sanctifies us. It makes us holy and favorable to God. He makes His dwelling in our soul, and we feel His great love. Second, grace strengthens our will. It makes us resist the temptations of sin and enables us to be compassionate, forgiving, and to perform good deeds. Third, it enlightens our minds to discern between good and evil. Fourth, it beautifies our soul. We become beautiful because God is beautiful and He lives in us. Fifth, grace inspires us to pray, to draw closer, and to know God more. It makes us depend, trust, hope, praise, and thank God.
We must also do our best to preserve Sanctifying Grace. We can lose grace when we sin. Sin can weaken and entirely destroy grace. Without Sanctifying Grace, all our good acts are meaningless. This explains the meaning of the words of Jesus, “To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mk 4:25). Three important things to remember: first, we must preserve our sanctifying grace until the end of our life on earth; second, we must recover it immediately if we have lost it by mortal sin; and third, we must seek to grow it with every opportunity we encounter in our lives. Remember that it is a divine gift of love from God for our salvation and that of our neighbor, so do not let His grace go to waste.
What does grace do to us? First, grace sanctifies us. It makes us holy and favorable to God. He makes His dwelling in our soul, and we feel His great love. Second, grace strengthens our will. It makes us resist the temptations of sin and enables us to be compassionate, forgiving, and to perform good deeds. Third, it enlightens our minds to discern between good and evil. Fourth, it beautifies our soul. We become beautiful because God is beautiful and He lives in us. Fifth, grace inspires us to pray, to draw closer, and to know God more. It makes us depend, trust, hope, praise, and thank God.
We must also do our best to preserve Sanctifying Grace. We can lose grace when we sin. Sin can weaken and entirely destroy grace. Without Sanctifying Grace, all our good acts are meaningless. This explains the meaning of the words of Jesus, “To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mk 4:25). Three important things to remember: first, we must preserve our sanctifying grace until the end of our life on earth; second, we must recover it immediately if we have lost it by mortal sin; and third, we must seek to grow it with every opportunity we encounter in our lives. Remember that it is a divine gift of love from God for our salvation and that of our neighbor, so do not let His grace go to waste.