“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
A.) Personal Existential Experiences
a.1.) The Mystery of Grace
I would like to connect my reflection on grace to the topic I mentioned in Chapter 2. When I speak of grace it has something to do with the Paschal Mystery- the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The paschal mystery has brought a new reality and meaning of grace as described in scripture. The Fathers of the Church and the contemporary writers has defined grace as a “call to intimate friendship that God extends to everyone. This involves the capacity of all of us to be lifted up through the influence of grace to be related with God here and now in a relationship of love where God is the one that takes the initiative.”
This contemporary understanding of grace for me is the encompassing fact about grace. God, from the very beginning of his creation of the world, has given the grace unto us. This grace is not designed for Him to prove His being omnipotent and almighty before us, but simply because He wanted us to be his friends in love. This willingness of God to extend His divine friendship to man, despite the fact of man’s unworthiness, is an expression of, and in fact, grace in itself. Indeed, everything in this universe is grace and there is no instance in our life that grace is nowhere.
a.2.) Grace as a Call to Friendship with God
Nevertheless, I would say that God’s call to friendship is not the only ultimate purpose of grace. Grace is present because it is connected with love. Love is the will and the essence of God that motivates Him in his action towards man. Since time immemorial until today, God has actively engaged in the activity of man. Such engagement of God is not simply superficial but essential – it was the offering of the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus. That was the greatest grace that humanity has ever received. Certainly, grace has found its existence in God’s act of love. Without love, grace is impossible.
God’s deep desire then was to establish a profound relationship of love in men and women. Love had been the underlying reason for grace to be perfected in the world. Therefore, it would be proper not only to say that God yearned friendship to all person but also for the person to become a part and a member of His family in love. The call to be in God under the one banner of love was and is the purpose of grace. Grace continues to be present everywhere because God remains to be with us and love us. As long as God’s love is everywhere, grace is everywhere.
B.) Doctrinal Exposition
b.1.) Water and Blood
St. Chrysostom(347-407 AD) of the early fifth century tells us that the early Christians viewed the water and blood as pointing to the Sacraments of the Eucharist and baptism. Again, this resonates the importance of baptism to the early believers.
From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, “the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit”, and from the holy Eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam More so, Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: “Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!” As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.
To connect the meaning of grace as related to the water and blood that flowed at the side of Jesus, I could say that in the New Testament grace means God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to descend into hell on the cross so that we, the guilty ones, might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. ‘God has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.’(2 Cor. 5:21)
In this sense, through the Holy Spirit, symbolized in the water and blood at the side of Jesus on the cross, grace had been given to the humanity. Through the death of Jesus on the cross, the world has given a new life and this new life is a life of grace.
b.2.) Divine Indwelling
When many theologians define grace as “God's unmerited favor towards us in Christ,” though not incorrect, this definition is incomplete. I always believe that divine grace also includes the divine gifts which flow from this favor, such as our new life in Christ, God's indwelling Presence and the ability to bear spiritual fruit.
Sacred Scripture says that grace is Jesus' Incarnation (2 Corinthians 8:9), by which He took on our poor human nature in order to fill us with the "riches" of grace (Ephesians 1:6). Grace is more than mere divine favor, it is sufficient power in our weakness (2 Co 12:8), it strengthens us (Hebrews 13:9; 2 Timothy 2:1), enables us to stand firm (Romans 5:2; 1 Peter 5:12), and helps us in time of need (He 4:16).
The Bible also states that grace is manifold (1 Pt 4:10), that God lavishes "grace upon grace" on us in Jesus Christ (Jn 1:16; Eph 1:7), and that we can "grow in grace" (2 Pt 3:18). It even says that our words can give grace to those who hear them (Eph 4:29), for our edifying words can draw others to God. Finally, grace is the Beatific Vision of the Trinity which we will enjoy for eternity when Our Lord returns (I Pt 1:13; Eph 2:7).
These different Scriptural passages present grace as something beyond mere "unmerited favor". It is a reality which embraces and permeates every aspect of our life in Christ. Therefore it means, grace above all is the attitude of God toward His people. It is the quality of God’s relationship with His chosen people through condescending love, conciliatory compassion and fidelity. Grace is the faithfulness of God to His plans and promises. Nothing at all even man’s sinfulness, weaknesses and infidelity can hinder God’s plan and promises. He will see to it that it gets realized.
b.3.) Divine Sonship and Filiation
Divine filiation is the condition of being a child of God, and thus a sharer in the life and role of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God and Redeemer of all human beings, according to Christian doctrine. Divine Sonship, said John Paul II, constitutes the essence of the Good News. This is the purpose of Christ's redemption and through baptism, each Christian's fundamental state is being a child of God. Furthermore, this doctrine implies divinization: "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God," "sharers in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), other "Christs"[3].
Again John Paul II said, Christians are supposed to "be always aware of the dignity of the divine adoption," so as to give meaning to what they do. Thus, the Christian relates to God as a Father who is loving and provident, and becomes confident and daring as a Christian and apostle. Each Christian, whether a priest or a layperson, is called to a life of holiness, consistent with his membership to the family of God. The ordinary Christians are fully responsible for continuing the redeeming mission of Christ in the ordinary circumstances of their life.
Divine filiation is the centerpiece of the Gospel, the good news: it is the reason why man was saved. And is also the purpose behind baptism. John Paul II reiterated that divine filiation is "the deepest mystery of the Christian vocation" and "the culminating point of the mystery of our Christian life...we share in salvation, which is not only the deliverance from evil, but is first of all the fullness of good: of the supreme good of the sonship of God."
In a very deep sense, the call of being sons and daughters of God is always be a grace from God. One cannot be son and daughter unless God willed it and at the same time we, on our part also desire to be a member of the Divine Family.
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