Albert Haase, OFM

The gratuity of grace is always unending and never expiring.

Despair descends when we feel helpless and trapped in a dire situation. When hope breaks ground, we feel empowered.

Knowing that one is being prayed for can open a person’s soul to be receptive to hope.

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision, an act of the will, a resolution, a firm choice to free ourselves from the continued influence and control of the adversary.

Like Saint Francis, we too must clear an interior space and empty ourselves for peace to blossom within our lives and the lives of others.

The need to be in control can be such a slippery slope on the spiritual journey: When do we take charge and act? When do we hold back and trust? So many of us live delusional lives and think we’re in charge not only of our lives but also of our holiness and soul training. And that is the very reason why frustration reigns supreme: We resist letting go and trusting in the fingers of the potter. We refuse to surrender. And yet, training the soul to become God’s instrument occurs only in the radical act of trust.

To serve the Lord and Divine Master is to recognize the gratuity of grace that is never exhausted and never expires: everything in my life is a grace, gift, and blessing.