Ordinary Time 
Pause
Nobody ever wants grace until they reach that point where they don’t just want it, they absolutely need it. Grace always comes undeserved and often unexpected. But when grace arrives, there really is nothing sweeter.
Welcoming God’s grace is an act of trust. Extending God’s grace is an act of mercy. They are two sides of the same coin. When the opportunity arrives to welcome grace, only a fool would pass it by.
Listen
But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
Romans 6:17–19
Think
By grace, you have been bought. The price was more than you were worth. It cannot be repaid, but it can be appreciated.
By your freedom, others will be set free as well. They will also owe a debt of gratitude to the one who freed you.
One holy act of grace sets in motion the liberation of the world. You are but a link in the chain. You were linked to death but, by the cross, you are now linked to life.
David Schaefers
Pray
In humility, I come to you, my God, broken and in need of mending. You take my broken body and lift it up. I am yours. By your love, I am able to enter into the righteous and liberating act that you are already working in the world. You did not need me. You stopped and took me in anyway. You did not need anyone. You committed to saving all the earth. Holy is your name! Amen.
Go
God knows we are not perfect! We are on a journey that has peaks and valleys, but the important thing isn’t the destination, it is our traveling partner. God extends grace to us, sometimes when we know we need it; sometimes when we don’t know. Welcoming the grace of God is the first step along the path to a new life.
God knows we learn from our mistakes. We grow wiser with each day and with each new experience. By the grace of God, we grow! Thank God for that and step out into uncharted adventures, where God’s grace abounds.
