Collect taken from Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time.
Collect: Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity,”
– These three theological virtues are supernatural, so they cannot be formed by our own power. We must ask God to grant us these abilities and to increase them as we cooperate.
“and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise.”
– Not only does God give us the gift of knowing the Truth about right and wrong – about what he commands – be he also provides the grace to follow that Truth. It goes even further; By God’s grace we can even love what He commands and his abundance continues further by His desire to reward us for following Him.
Questions & Advice: How often do you think about the three theological virtues? How often do you focus on growing in those virtues through prayer, the sacraments, and good works? Do you take grace for granted? Do you tend to the opposite extreme of thinking you must earn God’s love?
Read about the theological virtues in the Catechism (1812-1829). In your daily prayer time, reflect on the way you think about these virtues. Pray for them to increase. A part of God’s generosity is merit, meaning that we can “earn” more grace by cooperating with the grace we’ve received already and doing good works. It’s still a gift because it’s all dependent on God’s grace and generosity, but he likes us to participate in our own sanctification. With that in mind, look for opportunities this week to grow in God’s grace. All Saints Day and All Souls day are excellent opportunities with the indulgences that are available.
