So... What Exactly is "Grace?"

When we are called- and we are always called- to do the will of the Father, it is with His Grace and His Grace only that we are able to say, “yes” to that call. We are given, along with the invitation to participate in His holy plan, the ability and the charisms needed to carry out our portion. Grace is the gift that we are given again and again, though we hardly deserve such riches. 

God gives us grace in many forms and through many avenues. He gives us the grace we need at all times, He gives us the grace we need to love honor and serve Him and each other every moment of every day. 

There are three types of grace which we receive at different times and under different circumstances: These are Sanctifying Grace, Actual Grace, and Sacramental Grace.

 Sanctifying Grace- also known as Habitual Grace- is a permanently enjoined and supernatural state deposited on our souls by the Holy Spirit. It is a grace, like the white cells in our blood, made to heal and keep us whole and holy. It is the mark that denotes us as children of God, heirs to His Kingdom.

We first received this grace at Baptism and it works within us for as long as we remain free from mortal sin. And though it can be lost through grave sin, it is renewed and reconstituted through reconciliation. . . every single time we ask with contrite heart.

Actual Grace is an intervention by God that opens our eyes and our minds and moves us, shows us, imparts upon us a will to do good and avoid evil- our moral conscience. It is not the same ever-residing grace that Sanctifying Grace is. It comes and goes like a suggestion- like little pushes, inclinations that come upon us attracting us to a certain and good action, better choices, leveling up in our faith journey. 

It moves us to seek and find the relationship that He and we so desire. It works with our own free will, even sometimes before we recognize it, to strengthen us And to bring us to fulfill the actions we could not possibly perform on our own.

Sacramental Grace, is bestowed upon us in our Catholic life- a life demarcated by receiving the Sacraments and participating or joining fully in the Body of Christ. 

He gives us these graces as implements to build up our tool box as we continually discern and perform our purpose. Also known as Charisms, these tools are specific in their individuality and totality for each person- the sum of which fills the coffer needed by the person to become that which he/she was formed to be. 

In Romans 5:20, Paul astounds us by pointing out that where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more. It is indeed the power of Jesus Christ, given to us through His salvific generosity, in our very hands- entrusted to us to defeat sin and grow the Kingdom for His glory.