AMAZING GRACE

By Fr Jim Cogley

Grace is a word in our religious vocabulary that we have heard since we were children. Obviously, it belongs to the mysterious realm of the way we experience God in our lives. We have a certain intuitive understanding of the term, but most would find it difficult to define. In the Hail Mary we address Mary as full of grace, we speak of a state of grace, moments of grace, a graceful life, a graceful death and so much more. Yet we find it difficult to put what we mean into words. It is such an oft used word that is so little understood. In seminars I sometimes use the anacronym for GRACE as Gods Riches At Christ’s Expense. This makes sense but we may still be left wondering what exactly is this mysterious commodity that we call grace.

We may get clues as to the nature of grace from the ways the word is used in non-religious settings. So, we speak of a graceful dance where the movement just flows and is one with the music. We speak of a graceful gesture that embodies kindness and respect. A graceful manner is very becoming, and a graceful lady has a beauty that extends beyond appearances. From the world of golf comes an analogy that might be very helpful. A golfer tees off with all his might and the ball remains so close as to mock him. Another seems to put little effort into his swing, the club hits the ball with apparently little force, yet it travels forever. Of the first it could be said that he has used ‘powerless effort’ while the other has exercised ‘effortless power.’ From this analogy we can begin to see a clear distinction between the life of effort and the life of power which is grace.

It is an unfortunate fact that the Christian life for so many became equated with will-power. With that came the assumption that it was possible to serve God entirely by my own determination and strength. With this model there was no room for weakness. Christians believed that Christ was the figure they were expected to imitate and that it depended entirely on them as to how well they succeeded. If someone was suffering from an addiction it was generally believed that he or she lacked the necessary will-power to overcome their problem. Similarly, with someone suffering from anxiety or depression it was generally believed that if only they tried that bit harder that wouldn’t be in the sorry state they are in.

The words we can associate with ego are will-power, strength, effort, struggle, anxiety, trying harder and a few more. On the other hand, the words we can associate with Grace are surrender, abandonment, letting go, peace, ease, being carried and living in the present. Christ began his beatitudes with Blessed are the poor in spirit which roughly transliterates as blessed are those who know their need of God. This is the starting point for everyone who embarks on the spiritual life. It is entirely possible to live a religious life on the basis of will power and believe that by doing so I can save my soul. However, it is entirely impossible to live a spiritual life and experience a state of grace except by way of letting go and surrender.

The absolute necessity for the ego to surrender and experience its own powerlessness is something many good especially religious people find difficult to grasp. Surely there has to be room for trying harder and exercising self-effort? Perhaps it seems trite to say that its precisely when we are trying the hardest that God finds us most trying! Grace and struggle cannot co-exist together; it is always when one comes to an end that the other begins. Consider the life of Christ towards the end. When did his new life of grace begin? Was it while he was on the Cross and struggling the hardest to stay alive or was it after he said, Father into your hands, I commend my spirit’ and breathed his last. Obviously, it was only when he died that his new life began. His journey is also ours.   The struggle of the ego acts like a contraceptive to Grace. It is only when we have come to the end of our struggle that the new life of grace begins. We still may have difficulty with giving it words but we no longer need to because we know it.