Grace is real…And whether you want to realize it or not…You need it…And you know what?…..So do I….Because I am “ME”

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading from St Paul….”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast”……Everything we do, which is good is in essence the result of God’s grace….Like the word love, the term “grace” gets “thrown around a lot”….However, do we really believe that “grace” is real?…..If we open our hearts to it, unmerited grace can elevate our nature….This is why Jesus came and walked among us….God understands the human condition very well….This is why he created a Church and this is why God gave us the Sacraments…I can hear it now…”Your talking about the Sacraments again?!?”…..YES!!!!….The Sacraments are the tools given to us, which open us up to grace!….The Sacraments while they are administered by men (i.e. A Catholic Priest) they are heavenly in their origin and in their nature…..In order to be the people we are called to be…We ALL need grace!….And that “grace falls like rain” from God’s hand to our own…Our job is open ourselves up to it….So simple

“Know that the LORD is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends”

One of the biggest mistakes of our current culture is that we do not think we need God in our marriages….Marriage is a Sacrament…God created us “man & woman” and he also created marriage…So why is it important to view marriage as a Sacrament?…Because to have a good marriage it takes more than work….It takes grace!…….Our current world disagrees with what I just said but the statistics back up everything I just stated….One in two marriages end in divorce leaving a wake of sorrow and hardship for all involved…..Here are some sociological statistics….If a couple goes to Church together once a week…Only 20% of those marriages end in divorce…Now, here is the BIG factor…Couples who do not use any method of contraception and practice what is called Natural Family Planning (NFP)…Only 3% of those couples get divorced…..Now “don’t shoot the messenger” - These are just the facts!…Ask your self why do these statistics demonstrate these outcomes?…Because when we do things God’s way, we get grace!…..When Catholic couples live up to their wedding vows, which they made at Holy Mass - Following the three F’s (Faithful, Fruitful, and Forever)…Those marriages thrive - Sociological statistics say so! ….Not because those couples are somehow “better” or they “bought in” to what the Church teaches…But because God helps them with his grace…..Again, a good marriage requires work and grace is needed for that…God knew this from the beginning…That is why marriage is a Sacrament…Now, what is the “rub here”?…..The going to Church on Sunday with your spouse part from what I just said is not that hard to do…Its the not using contraception part, which is hard….To be fair, many Catholics ignore this reality, which means their marriages are not Sacramental…Again, “don’t shoot the messenger here”! - I am just telling you the facts….But since we are talking facts, lets continue…….For love to be real, it must cost us…..Love holds nothing back…Love gives completely of “the self” to the other…When we use contraception, we are "holding a piece of ourself" back from our spouse…..And this action will bleed into other areas of our marriage wounding it…Also, when a family has many children and God is at the center of it….What is important becomes very clear!….Again, the statistics do not lie…..Grace is real and we all need it

“Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good: the LORD, whose kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations”

St Paul tells us in the first reading that grace is a gift, we can not self manufacture it…We can not “read our way” to grace…However, Jesus himself tells us in Scripture….”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”….All we have to do is ask!…..And utilize what God gave us - Daily prayer (The Rosary), Monthly Confession and Receiving the Eucharist in the state of grace on Sunday at Mass…So simple…In doing so we open ourselves up to life changing grace….Now that does not make life “easy” and all our troubles will not magically go away......However, when we utilize what Jesus gave us...God will equipt us for everything we will face - Bank on that!…Like with everything else…Its up to us…However, the “outcomes” speak for themselves….Grace is real…And whether you want to realize it or not…You need it…And you know what?…..So do I….Because I am “ME”