GRACE ABOUNDS

– SPECTATOR FROM SAHAY - 2

 

Greetings to you all!

I am happy to be in touch with you with this edition of my Spectator!

 

Before I begin this issue of Spectator, I should make a confession. These days, I am much obsessed with the topic of “GRACE.” Somehow, my readings, reflections are centering on grace – the abiding love that all of us receive from above.  Grace, in the secular language is called “Luck”. Many people may not believe in luck, but they all believe in God and his supreme, benevolent power.

 

Last month, by accident, I happened to grab two books that are excellent in their own way. Each proved to be masterpieces in their own merit. One was Rhonda Byrne’s “The Magic” and the other one was Philip Yancey’s “What is so amazing about grace?”

 

Though Rhonda Byrne is not new to me (since I have read her book “The Secret” – this book – “The Magic” was new to me. The second book on grace by Philip Yancey was completely new to me. I have never heard of this author and I have never read/known anything about this man. Yet, this second book proved to be a fantastic read!  I am reading this second book with such a devotion – as if it is a book on spirituality, recommended to me by my spiritual father!

 

This second book led me to an old best-seller - Scott Peck’s “The Road Less Travelled.” Now I have completed The Secret and Philip Yancey’s What is so amazing about grace? I landed on Scot Peck because, in his book, he has devoted the last section to grace.

 

I think in the next issue too, I will be talking to you about GRACE and about Philip Yancey’s book.

 

Grace and Ungrace

 

In her book, “The Magic” this author in a very succinct way, points out that the magic word that unleashes all the creative power in the universe is just a single word….and that word is “Gratitude.”

 

I believe gratitude and grace go together. Yancey begins his book with an excerpt from the famous Danish film Babette’s Feast. (This was a famous movie – a moving story too – even quoted by Pope Francis in his encyclical Amoris Letitia).

 

We are called to be graceful. Life teaches us many wonderful lessons. One of the most precious lessons is that we can’t always change our environment. But at the same time, we can, however, change the way we perceive the harsh realities around us. God calls us to believe and act that every situation has a positive seed, in built in it.

 

Negativity is a fact of life. There are some evil people with some evil mechanizations. On the other hand, positivity is also a fact of life! Let our positive, constructive emotions and perspectives rule the world!

 

The author Philip Yancey calls grace as the “Last Best Word.” (this is the introductory part)

A brief passage from the book

 

1. Many people “say grace” before meals, acknowledging daily bread as a gift from God. We are grateful for someone’s kindness, gratified by good news, congratulated when successful, gracious in hosting friends.

 

2. When a person’s service pleases us, we leave a gratuity. In each of these uses I hear a pang of childlike delight in the undeserved.

 

3. A composer of music may add grace notes to the score. Though not essential to the melody—they are gratuitous—these notes add a flourish whose presence would be missed.

 

4. In England, some uses hint loudly at the word’s theological source. British subjects address royalty as “Your grace.” Students at Oxford and Cambridge may “receive a grace” exempting them from certain academic requirements. Parliament declares an “act of grace” to pardon a criminal.

 

5. New York publishers also suggest the theological meaning with their policy of gracing. If I sign up for twelve issues of a magazine, I may receive a few extra copies even after my subscription has expired. These are “grace issues,” sent free of charge (or, gratis) to tempt me to resubscribe.

 

6. Credit cards, rental car agencies, and mortgage companies likewise extend to customers an undeserved “grace period.”

 

 

My dear,

Hope to share with you at least a few insights of Philip Yancey in the days to come!

 

I am sending you his book – as an e-copy. If you have time, please read and enjoy with grace!

 

Till we meet again,

 

Gracefully yours,

 

Sahayaraj SJ.

 

 

Attached:

 

1. Philip Yancey’s  What’s So Amazing about Grace – e book

2. NCR (National Catholic Register) article on Babette’s Feast!