For The Nine Days Following The Feast Of The Sacred Heart
Sixth Day - On Actual Grace
Preparation. - Since sanctifying grace, or divine friendship, is preserved in us through actual grace, we shall consider, first, the motives for corresponding with actual grace, and secondly, the different effects it can produce in us, and then we shall resolve to live well recollected, that we may hear God's voice, and faithfully obey Him in all things, even unto death. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life" (Apoc. 2. 10).
I. Motives For Corresponding With Actual Grace.
A soul in the state of grace, that is, free from mortal sin, stands in need of the divine assistance in order to persevere. This assistance is called actual grace, which God gives us through the merits of Jesus Christ, in order to remedy our weakness and enable us to avoid evil and do good. Its two principal effects, according to St. Thomas, are to preserve and increase in us supernatural life, or sanctifying grace, and to perform works meritorious of eternal life.
Sanctifying grace raises us to a sphere of life superior to the condition of every created nature, says St. Thomas. It assimilates us to the holiness of God; and its immediate effect is to unite us to our last end and make us partakers of His goods and His happiness. This manifests its excellence, which is reflected on actual grace, for this latter grace is destined to consolidate and perfect the former, and thus enable us to participate more fully in the greatness, wealth, happiness and nature of the infinite Being, God.
Moreover, actual grace enables us to perform meritorious actions, the least of which is more valuable than all created goods. We can, at every moment, by means of a good intention, acquire an increase of sanctifying and of actual grace and an augmentation of glory for eternity. The least degree of grace and glory is so precious in the eyes of faith, that, to obtain it, the saints would willingly suffer until the last judgment. What motives have we not, first, to be attentive to the desires of the Holy Ghost; secondly, never to resist Him, even in the smallest things; thirdly, to be ever ready to obey Him; and fourthly, efficaciously to correspond with His inspirations, however great our natural repugnance.
O my God, I acknowledge that, without Thy help, I can do nothing for my salvation. Grant that I may always mistrust myself, constantly have recourse to Thee, and place all my hopes in Thee. Grant me a spirit of watchfulness, recollection and docility, that I may always take notice of Thy lights, Thy attractions and Thy sanctifying influence, and that I may have the courage to correspond faithfully therewith.
II. Diverse Effects Of Actual Grace.
The two great effects of actual grace are to keep up the spiritual life in us and to enable us to perform meritorious works. But they branch off into many others, thus proving our Lord's loving consideration towards us. The royal prophet calls actual grace a favorable look of God, saying: "O look upon me, and have mercy on me; ... and save the son of thy handmaid" (Ps. 85. 16). "Look upon me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies" (Ps. 68. 17).
Elsewhere actual grace is compared to wine and milk. "All you that thirst," says the prophet "come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Is. 55. 1). The wine signifies the power or virtue of grace, which cures souls, urges them on to do good, fills them with love at prayer, and with devotedness towards God and in the neighbor's service. Milk, says St. Augustine, is an admirable image of grace, because it flows abundantly from the mother's breast, who gives it to her infant, not only with a gratuitous liberality, but with joyful tenderness. In like manner, does the Lord impart His graces to us with a bounty exceeding our wants and a love that is never discouraged. Each drop of the milk of grace possesses an infinite value, and, nevertheless, divine love lavishes it on us, and, moreover, often continues to confer it on us even when we reject it, as if it were of no value, of no consequence. O incomprehensible divine generosity!
Grace, in fine, is compared to dew (Is. 45. 8). It comes down noiselessly from heaven into our innermost heart. Diminishing in us the heat of concupiscence, it facilitates the opening of the buds of our good desires and the ripening of our virtues. Let us, then, be ever ready to receive this divine dew by keeping ourselves calm, watchful, recollected in every thing and every where, and let us render it fertile in us by a perfect docility and fidelity.
This shall be the case, O my God, if Thou helpest me to resolve, first, habitually to recall Thy adorable presence, and secondly, to mortify my senses and my passions, so that I may preserve interior peace and be ever disposed to obey Thee without reserve.
Preparation. - Since sanctifying grace, or divine friendship, is preserved in us through actual grace, we shall consider, first, the motives for corresponding with actual grace, and secondly, the different effects it can produce in us, and then we shall resolve to live well recollected, that we may hear God's voice, and faithfully obey Him in all things, even unto death. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life" (Apoc. 2. 10).
I. Motives For Corresponding With Actual Grace.
A soul in the state of grace, that is, free from mortal sin, stands in need of the divine assistance in order to persevere. This assistance is called actual grace, which God gives us through the merits of Jesus Christ, in order to remedy our weakness and enable us to avoid evil and do good. Its two principal effects, according to St. Thomas, are to preserve and increase in us supernatural life, or sanctifying grace, and to perform works meritorious of eternal life.
Sanctifying grace raises us to a sphere of life superior to the condition of every created nature, says St. Thomas. It assimilates us to the holiness of God; and its immediate effect is to unite us to our last end and make us partakers of His goods and His happiness. This manifests its excellence, which is reflected on actual grace, for this latter grace is destined to consolidate and perfect the former, and thus enable us to participate more fully in the greatness, wealth, happiness and nature of the infinite Being, God.
Moreover, actual grace enables us to perform meritorious actions, the least of which is more valuable than all created goods. We can, at every moment, by means of a good intention, acquire an increase of sanctifying and of actual grace and an augmentation of glory for eternity. The least degree of grace and glory is so precious in the eyes of faith, that, to obtain it, the saints would willingly suffer until the last judgment. What motives have we not, first, to be attentive to the desires of the Holy Ghost; secondly, never to resist Him, even in the smallest things; thirdly, to be ever ready to obey Him; and fourthly, efficaciously to correspond with His inspirations, however great our natural repugnance.
O my God, I acknowledge that, without Thy help, I can do nothing for my salvation. Grant that I may always mistrust myself, constantly have recourse to Thee, and place all my hopes in Thee. Grant me a spirit of watchfulness, recollection and docility, that I may always take notice of Thy lights, Thy attractions and Thy sanctifying influence, and that I may have the courage to correspond faithfully therewith.
II. Diverse Effects Of Actual Grace.
The two great effects of actual grace are to keep up the spiritual life in us and to enable us to perform meritorious works. But they branch off into many others, thus proving our Lord's loving consideration towards us. The royal prophet calls actual grace a favorable look of God, saying: "O look upon me, and have mercy on me; ... and save the son of thy handmaid" (Ps. 85. 16). "Look upon me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies" (Ps. 68. 17).
Elsewhere actual grace is compared to wine and milk. "All you that thirst," says the prophet "come ye, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Is. 55. 1). The wine signifies the power or virtue of grace, which cures souls, urges them on to do good, fills them with love at prayer, and with devotedness towards God and in the neighbor's service. Milk, says St. Augustine, is an admirable image of grace, because it flows abundantly from the mother's breast, who gives it to her infant, not only with a gratuitous liberality, but with joyful tenderness. In like manner, does the Lord impart His graces to us with a bounty exceeding our wants and a love that is never discouraged. Each drop of the milk of grace possesses an infinite value, and, nevertheless, divine love lavishes it on us, and, moreover, often continues to confer it on us even when we reject it, as if it were of no value, of no consequence. O incomprehensible divine generosity!
Grace, in fine, is compared to dew (Is. 45. 8). It comes down noiselessly from heaven into our innermost heart. Diminishing in us the heat of concupiscence, it facilitates the opening of the buds of our good desires and the ripening of our virtues. Let us, then, be ever ready to receive this divine dew by keeping ourselves calm, watchful, recollected in every thing and every where, and let us render it fertile in us by a perfect docility and fidelity.
This shall be the case, O my God, if Thou helpest me to resolve, first, habitually to recall Thy adorable presence, and secondly, to mortify my senses and my passions, so that I may preserve interior peace and be ever disposed to obey Thee without reserve.
