Today's Good News Reflection

Was the Virgin Mary the only human who was "full of grace"? In our first reading today, we see that Stephen, too, was full of grace! Think of "grace" as the activity of God made present in a human person -- including you -- by God's choice. This activity or presence supplies us with whatever supernatural gifts are needed at the moment.

To be full of grace means being totally and completely open to these gifts and united to God's presence within us. When we're in a "state of grace", we are free of sin and detached from everything that is not of God.

We become "full of grace" in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During our Confession, the True Presence of Jesus comes to us in the form of the priest, who sits in for the whole community that was wounded by our sins. Jesus takes our sins, nails them to his cross, absolves us of the punishment we deserve, and begins to heal the divisions that our sins have caused.

The completion of the healing still requires action from us, but in this Sacrament, the action of God is a grace-filled and grace-filling experience: It empowers us to change and to make amends and to avoid repeating the same sins. It's a more powerful experience than seeking God's forgiveness outside of the Sacrament.

Another opportunity to become full of grace is during Mass. It starts when we accept the invitation of the presiding priest to recall our sins and seek Christ's mercy. It continues through the insights that the Holy Spirit gives us from the Word of God and from the homily that explains it. The "Our Father", prayed in unison with the community, furthers the healing. Giving each other the "Peace be with you" handshake or hug helps to heal us from the brokenness of community life that our sins have caused.

Or at least this is what is supposed to happen -- we have to cooperate with grace by participating in the Mass consciously.

Then, by the time we see the miraculous True Presence of Jesus on the altar, we open ourselves to the fullness of this grace by sincerely praying, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and so we humbly ask Jesus to enter into us and heal whatever is not yet full of grace.

Thanks to everything that happens during Mass, receiving the Eucharist is receiving our full unity with God and his gift of grace.

If you cannot receive the Eucharist due to special circumstances, and if you're not divided from God through an on-going, unrepented sin, your prayer of "Lord ... say the word and my soul shall be healed" is your moment of being filled with grace. You receive Spiritual Communion. But do everything possible to receive the fullness of Christ in the Eucharist. Talk to a priest about remedies for your circumstances. The Church has ways to help you open yourself to all that God offers.

Whenever we consciously remain stuck in sin, we're choosing division over communion. Please don't continue pretending that you're not really sinning. Purifying our lives is hard, but God gives us supernatural help through the awesomeness of his grace.