Have you ever tried to explain the word "grace" to someone? Pay attention to the words of St. Paul in his
writing to the Ephesians.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast."

Therefore, grace is a gift from God that helps us to live the faith we claim to believe in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is sheer gift and cannot be earned. Grace is everything we need at every moment in every context of life to live out our faith. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." To believe in Jesus will enable a person to live the way and truth of Jesus. Belief is more than an intellectual assent to an idea or a concept. Belief in Jesus can be said to be an "action" word that is seen in the behavior of those who claim to have it. Such behavior does not save a person – for only Jesus saves us. Yet, Christ-like behavior will always accompany those who are true followers of Jesus. For the Lord said, "whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God."

Consequently, God loves every human being and desires that each of us be saved in and through Jesus Christ. If there is condemnation, it is only because "people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed." For we know that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save it. At each step of the way, God offers the grace that can help us live what we say we believe. Through the Church, the sacraments and especially through the Eucharist, we are given everything we need to be authentic, persistent and constant in our journey together with the Lord.

Finally, those who have been graced by God to truly believe and live in Jesus will also display an attitude of gratefulness to God. We ought to be so grateful for everything that we have and everything that we are &ndah; for everything is a gift from God rooted in love. The bad that exists in and around our lives is due to "infidelity" and sin. Further, those who have yet to hear and/or know of God through Jesus will be given the same amount of grace, love and opportunity as we have received. In God's tremendous providence there is also tremendous justice. By grace, (Latin term, gratia) each us receives the free "gift, favor, loving kindness, and the thanksgiving" we need to respond to God's call. God will not force anyone to receive His love. Each of us must freely choose to be true to our word and true to our profession of faith.

Let us pray that God will give us a greater resolve to respond to the grace of love that is constantly being offered to us at every moment.