Collect taken from Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time.
Collect: May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“ May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after”
– As St. Therese once said “all is grace.” Without grace, we can do nothing that will last so we ask to be enveloped in that gift of God.
“and make us always determined to carry out good works.”
– God’s grace is not just an invisible, intangible gift, but is so real that you can see it in a person’s life. If we really believe in God’s redemption, then we do not hope for some kind of invisible legal transaction, but a real transformation. That transformation is seen through good works, without which our faith would be dead.
Questions & Advice: Do you truly rely on God’s grace at all times? Or do you rely on your own abilities and only invoke God’s grace as a kind of backup? Are good works evident in your life?
Read about grace and it’s connection to works in the Catechism (1996-2005). In your daily prayer time, reflect on how often you rely on God’s grace and beg God to rely on him always. Examine your conscience to detect any sins that might be cutting you off from grace. Seek confession if necessary. Then, look for an opportunity to practice good works – the works of mercy are a good place to start.
