The Grace Of God

Some of the temptations, the trials we face, have changed very little throughout the history of humankind.
The grace of God is that power which enables us to become useful, normal persons.
The grace of God is also manifest in our love for others, compassion for their problems, and a real willingness to help them.
The grace of God also manifests itself as peace of mind and serenity.
We can have abundant power, love, and serenity in our lives if we ask God for them each day.

I pray that I may see God's grace in the strength, love, and serenity in my life.
I pray that I may be grateful for the things I have received through the grace of God.

Winds Of Grace

The winds of grace blow all the time.

All we need to do is set our sails.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Gospel of Ramakrishna

The Mountaintop Experience

At some moments we experience complete unity within us and around us.
This may happen when we stand on a mountaintop and are captivated by the view.
It may happen when we witness the birth of a child or the death of a friend.
It may happen when we have an intimate conversation or a family meal.
It may happen in church during a service or in a quiet room during prayer.
But whenever and however it happens we say to ourselves:
"This is it ... everything fits ... all I ever hoped for is here."

This is the experience that Peter, James, and John had on the top of Mount Tabor when they saw the aspect of Jesus' face change and his clothing become sparkling white.
They wanted that moment to last forever (see Luke 9:28-36).
This is the experience of the fullness of time.
These moments are given to us so that we can remember them when God seems far away and everything appears empty and useless.
These experiences are true moments of grace.

You Did Not Mourn

If you only knew what goes on within my heart—Sometimes the pain is so great that I feel as if everything will break. The smile is a big cloak which covers a multitude of pains.
— Mother Teresa

The saints knew suffering beyond what most of us can imagine, yet bore it with grace.
Are you preparing for Christmas with joyful anticipation, or are you letting the strain of a hundred tasks sour your mood?

Give everyone you meet today the gift of a smile.

from Day by Day Through Advent With Mother Teresa

Aging Gracefully

written by SUE MOSTELLER

One of the sisters in my Congregation who taught me more than fifty years ago is now one hundred years old. Today she is blind and in a wheelchair. Whenever I see her at dinner, she is not too interested in the tiny serving of food on her plate, but she is totally engaged in conversation with others at the table. Her questions are penetrating, and she loves a stimulating conversation.
When newcasters came to the convent to interview her after Pope John Paul II died, they asked her to pretend to be saying her rosary and to look sad. She indignantly replied, "I'm sorry, but I talk to the Lord in a different way today! And why would I look sad that the Pope died? Didn't he lead an adventuresome life? Wasn't he amazing - the way he lived his public life to the end in such fragility? Isn't he an example of living fully and dying in his time? No, sir, I cannot put on a sad face. I feel so joyful that his mission is accomplished!"
I'm still a young'un at seventy-three years of age, but as I continue the aging process, I'd love to imitate that amazing woman, who fully accepts the necessary diminishment of her humanity while rejecting all forms of inner death!

- SUE MOSTELLER is retired, having lived for more than 30 years in the community of L'Arche Daybreak. She and Henri Nouwen were friends and Sue now works for the Henri Nouwen Legacy Trust.

A Heart Of Grace

The greatness of a community is most accurately measured

by the compassionate actions of its members,

a heart of grace, and a soul generated by love.

-- Coretta Scott King

The Power Within

The power within me is far greater
than any fear before me.