God’s grace at work

by Father John Canary

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with seminarians, priests and religious, and many lay people as they were searching for ways to grow spiritually and to live their lives by the light of faith.

These experiences have always been inspiring. It was a blessing to see the many ways that the love of God can touch people’s lives and guide them in all they were doing.

At the same time, there was a long-standing confusion for me as I worked with these people of faith. They did not seem to see what I saw. What seemed obvious to me (God’s grace at work in their lives) seemed hidden to them.

Whenever I mentioned that I thought their faith was strong or that God surely was working in their lives, most people would protest that they did not feel their faith was very strong or that they did not think they were very spiritual in the way they lived. This was confusing. I thought I could see the love of God at work in their lives, but the people I spoke with did not consider themselves to be very spiritual men and women.

After many years, I realized what was causing this confusion. It was a matter of focus. We were looking at different things.

When I spoke with people about their spiritual lives or their life of faith, people focused on themselves. They did not feel very spiritual or very strong in their faith because they knew themselves well. They had a clear focus on their own limitations, their frailty, even their sinfulness. Often they felt dissatisfied with themselves. They would grow silent. You could see the discouragement.

But something powerful would happen if people began to change their focus. Whenever people began to look at how they came to know the love of God, how they knew His presence and His love, what graces God had given them, they would become very energetic, very descriptive, very grateful. Often they could describe vividly and concretely how God had touched their lives and how His grace made all the difference. This was always an inspiring experience.

Though their stories were always particular, I noticed there were three common ways people seemed to find the love of God. One way was through the important relationships in their lives. Another way was through the Sacred Scriptures. A third was through the sacraments of the Church, especially the Eucharist.

Our relationships are important to all of us. Humanly speaking, they are the foundation of who we are and what we are about. Our family, our close friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, all of these relationships form the basis of our lives. They help us understand who we are and the purpose of our lives.

On a deeper level, our relationships also are touched by the presence of God and the mystery of His love. Our faith reveals that God is with us always, even to the end of time, and when we gather together, in our relationships, God is with us. God blesses us. God’s grace, His presence and His love, is always active, powerful, transforming, redemptive. And people know this.

Recently I was at a wedding anniversary celebration. Jim and Sally have been married 50 years. Jim stood up to thank everyone who had come. He toasted his wife, who he described as his best friend. He gave thanks for his children whom he said were Sally and his greatest gift. But then he turned to his grandchildren and he spoke a few words.

He told them that his life had been a great journey. He now could see he was a blessed man. He said he could look back over many years and he could see that his life could have gone one way or another. He could have chosen this path or that path, time and again. The thing he saw clearly now was that God had been with him throughout the journey. God’s love had been his strength and his guide. He encouraged his grandchildren to know that God was with them, to trust Him, and to turn to Him often and believe in His love.

Not long ago, I was at a hospital bed with a mother and father of a boy who lay dying from a tragic car accident.

The father told me he felt very grateful that he and his son had the chance to spend two weeks together this past summer when they went to World Youth Day. In retrospect, he said it was like a gift from God, a lasting memory he will carry with him for the rest of his life. He said this gave him great consolation. He was grateful to God for this gift.

The mother told me that her son was a good boy, most of the time, but now she just wanted him to go to God. She did not want him to suffer anymore. She said she knew God would take care of him now. This gave her some peace.

Even in the midst of this tragedy, these people of faith did not lose their sense of the love of God. They were aware of His presence and His grace.

People know how God is with them.

Another way that people come to know the love of God is through the Sacred Scripture.

At the beginning of the Gospel of John, Jesus asks those who were following him “what are you looking for?” Isn’t this a question that could be asked of any of us? What are we looking for?

They responded to Jesus with a question of their own. “Where do you live?” Isn’t this a desire we all have, to know where Jesus is to be found?

Jesus then says, “Come and see.” His words are an invitation, not only to those first disciples, but to all of us who read the Scriptures. You want to know where to find Jesus, come and follow him in the Scriptures and see where God is to be found.

We all believe that the Scriptures are the Word of God. As we turn to the Scriptures, we know that God’s presence among us, and His love for all of us, will be fully revealed in Jesus. Come and see.

People know that they can find the love of God in His Word. It is a source of grace for us all.

A woman I have known for many years begins each day with some time to read a short passage from Scripture. She listens attentively, and then she writes out a dialogue with God about what she has heard in the Scripture. It is usually a very lively conversation with God about the passage and how the passage applies to her life. In her dialogue, she talks to God and God talks back to her. It is inspiring to hear this dialogue, and what is very apparent is that this woman has a deep relationship with God that is constantly nourished by her prayerful reading of Scripture. Over and over again, she is reminded of God’s great love for her.

Sometimes it happens more spontaneously.

Recently a grandmother told me she had been concerned about her health and what would happen to her if she needed more health care. She is an independent woman and she did not want to be a burden to her children. Then she told me she was beginning to think more and more about death. She mentioned she was beginning to worry about what the Lord would say to her when she died.

She said that she had been to a funeral of a good friend and she sat there preoccupied with her own worries. She was half listening when the priest read the Gospel. All of a sudden the words jumped out at her. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God and faith in me.” She said she felt like God had spoken directly to her. She said a calm came over her. It didn’t take away her concerns, but it reminded her of God’s love and the importance of trusting in that love.

The Scriptures are full of grace and they reveal to us the mystery of God’s love.

For us Catholics, the really privileged place for us to encounter the love of God is in the sacramental life of the Church, in all the sacraments, but especially in the Eucharist.

This past week I had the privilege of baptizing my great niece. It was a joyful family celebration. Not only were we aware of the gift of this new life in our family, but at the baptism, we were aware that she was born again, now into the supernatural life of God’s love and grace, through the pouring of the water and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We prayed for her and her parents, that this gift of new life in God’s love would be nurtured in the years ahead through the love of her parents and the grace of God. It was an intense moment of faith for all of us.

Aren’t we all blessed with these moments as we participate in the sacramental life of the Church. Over and over again, God’s love is offered to us in the sacraments. We know it and we believe it and we experience it.

Perhaps this is especially true in the Eucharist. Here we are caught up in the fullness of Jesus love, His complete offering to His Father and His offering to us. In this sacrifice and in our communion, we are able to share in the fullness of God’s love.

I remember watching the funeral of John Paul II. It was a moving experience in so many ways. As so many people gathered in Rome and so many of us watched from afar, I was aware that now John Paul lived in the fullness of God’s love, but I also was aware that we do too, in a sacramental way, as we come each day to the Eucharist, which is the extension of God’s act of love for the world.

God’s love is present and active in our lives. It is the source of all the graces we need and we desire. We believe this and we know it, and we can even see it … if we can keep our focus on it’s mysterious and loving presence.

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