1. Grace in our Life

2. What is grace?
"Grace" is the English translation of the Greek χάρις (charis) meaning "that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune.

3. Grace is the love of God present in us.
God’s free, loving gift to us, his helping goodness, the vitality that comes from him (YouCat, 338).
God’s favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life (CCC, 1996).

4. God is the God of all graces (1 Pt. 5:10).
Common grace goes to all people. It is God’s love to all people. It is God’s kindness to everyone whether or not they even love him.

5. What does God’s grace do to us?
God’s grace brings us into the inner life of the Holy Trinity, into the exchange of love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It make us capable of living in God’s love and of acting on the basis of this love (YouCat, 339).

6. Kinds of Grace Supernatural Grace Sanctifying or Deifying Grace
Habitual Grace
Actual Grace
Sacramental Grace
Charisms
Graces of State
1. Supernatural Grace – grace is infused in us from above and cannot be explained in terms of natural causes.
2. Sanctifying or Deifying Grace - it makes us, especially through Baptism, children of God and heirs of heaven.
3. Habitual Grace – it bestows on us a permanent disposition to do good.
4. Actual Grace – grace helps us to know, to will, and to do everything that leads us to what is good, to God, and to heaven.
5. Sacramental Grace – grace comes about in a special way in the sacraments, which according to the will of our Savior are the preeminent places for our encounter with God.
6. Charisms – grace is manifested also in special gifts of grace that are granted to individual Christians.
7. Graces of State – in special powers that are promised to those in the state of marriage, the ordained state, the religious state.
(YouCat, 339)

7. What are the effects of grace?
Sanctifies
Beautifies
Strengthens the will
Enlightens the Mind
Inspires to prayer

8. How will you prepare yourself to receive God’s grace?
Let the students answer the question.
Answers may vary:
Being open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit
Being humble before God
Free your heart from any resentment, etc.

9. Guide for Reflection: Recall your experiences in life.
Identify moments of grace with those events.
What were the effects they brought into your life?

10. Sources: 1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_(Christianity)
2. Catechism for the Catholic Church
3. United States Conference of Catholic Bishpos
USCCB.org
4. YouCat
5. apo265,htm