Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace: Amazing Grace From the one Full of Grace

Grace is something that I really can't wrap my mind around. It feels so abstract to me.

I hear people whip out that word all the time: "Give yourself grace." "Pray for the grace to..." "You get graces for..."

As a cradle Catholic, grace was probably one of the first words to come out of my mouth. Yet I'm over here, way older than I will publicly admit, and it's still a little fuzzy.

Grace started to come into focus a little clearer when I was homeschooling. The Catholic curriculum I used did an amazing job of making me realize that I had no clue what grace even was. So that's a start, I guess!

After teaching four or so kids the same concept, it started to take a little shape in my mind.

“Grace is participation in the very life of God.”

I read that year after year- I literally have no idea what to do with that sentence.

“Grace is divine life in our souls.”

That one sits a little easier, but still not super helpful.

And to make matters even more confusing, there are different kinds of grace!

Sanctifying grace, as the name states, helps make us holy.

Actual grace is sent by God at a specific time and acts as an impulse to do good or avoid evil.

OK, time for your yearly reminder that my degree is in agriculture, NOT theology...

But hear me out.  Your interior life, or spiritual life, is like a fire in your soul. 

The sacraments are the primary way to receive sanctifying grace, so when you receive grace by going to mass, it’s like getting a huge log thrown onto your fire. 

But the sacraments aren’t the only way to receive grace, so when you do a good work, like giving food to the hungry, or holding your tongue instead of snapping, you get a small stick thrown onto your fire. 

When you commit a venial sin, you get a splash of water on your fire, which weakens your flame.

And when you commit a mortal sin, your fire completely goes out.

Until you receive Confession, your soul is completely dead. It doesn't matter how many sticks you throw on that fire; it's not going to light.

As soon as you go to confession, that fire lights up, and any new "stick" (symbolizing any good deed done) lights up as well.

Going to Mass and confession often is important to our spiritual life because they provide the biggest and best fuel for your fire. But any good deed still contributes to keeping the fire of God's life within you burning and growing.

Sometimes God gives us actual grace, which is like throwing paper on a fire. It immediately lights up brightly, but only for an instant. 

The most popular example is what happened to St. Paul. Most of us won't be knocked off a horse, and may not always realize the grace we received in a particular moment!

But maybe actual grace prompted us to get in the car to drive to an adoration chapel, or to say a quick prayer for someone who came to mind.  In either case, you are accepting the invitation to grow in holiness in that moment. 

Actual grace is God’s hand in you receiving a phone call from a friend at the exact moment you were going to make a bad decision.

You don’t get to stockpile actual grace; it comes in a moment and is gone whether you acted upon it or not.

So sanctifying grace compounds and grows the spiritual life within you, drawing you closer to God.

Actual grace is a quick, momentary heat flash that happens in an instant, whether we use it or not.

The Fire of Divine Grace

My analogy is not perfect, and you could find ways to poke holes in it, but I hope it helped us visual learners understand the mechanics of grace a little easier.

Ok. So, where does Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace come into play?

For some reason, known to God alone, He chose to enter this world through the womb of Mary, so all grace- life of God in us- comes through the intercession of Mary.

Mary's fiat was the spark that first lit the darkness. Her saying yes to becoming the mother of God allowed Jesus to enter the world, making her the initial conduit of grace.

So all grace originates from the Father, was won through the victory of Christ Jesus, and is given out through the Holy Spirit through the intercession of Mary, the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

To keep my original analogy going, Mary tends the fire. She doesn't create the logs and sticks of grace, but she is the hand that places them on the fire of our souls.

When sin comes along to cool the fire of Divine Love in our soul, or a mortal sin extinguishes it completely, she works diligently to restore the life of Christ in us by encouraging us to receive the grace of a good confession.

Our Lady of Divine Grace

This theology is way above my pay grade, so if you are looking for more, I highly encourage you to read True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort, as well as the writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe and his insights into the Blessed Mother’s relationship with the Holy Spirit.

In the meantime, let’s give Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace her permission to tend the fire of our souls to create a fire so hot and bright that it can never be put out.

Our Lady, Mother of Divine Grace, pray for us!

Until next time, your sister in Christ, 

Leah