All Is Grace

The joy of contemplating the grace of God and the glory of God, which must be preached to all, have brought me to this task. The apostle Paul was a stout-hearted champion of God’s glory throughout this whole epistle [Romans], and defended it with apostolic authority and prudence against the Jews; the holy fathers everywhere defended it against heretics, and we desire it to be inscribed in our hearts in order to acquire a disposition of total humility and to achieve purity of devotion. Those who completely devote themselves to divine worship should know that piety is the worship of God, as Scripture says; but there is no piety without thanksgiving and no thanksgiving without an acknowledgment of grace. By meditating frequently on this they become the blessed who are poor in spirit, to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs and whose spirit is believed to be totally with God. For grace predestined us before we existed, when we were nothing; when we turned back, it justified us; and it will glorify us when we are justified if we are not ungrateful. Grace accomplishes good in us so we may will; it cooperates with us when we do will; and without it we can neither will nor accomplish any good. Just as we were created by God from no subsisting elements so that we might be something among his creatures, so by grace we have been created in good works by no merits of our own. And therefore if we merit anything, it is a grace, and what we merit is grace for grace. Indeed, to bear the fruit of a grace received is an increase of grace, just as to have received grace in the first place is a grace. Grace goes before us so we can pray; it helps us while we pray; and it gives us what we pray for. The Virgin was filled with grace so she could become the Mother of God; he who was born of the Virgin was found to be full of grace. Noah, Abraham, Moses and the rest of the holy fathers are said to have found grace with God, and when the apostle Paul sought something else, he was told that grace would suffice.

-William of St-Thierry 

Comments

[Joel Laramee]

Would someone who had "turned back" and been justified, be ungrateful for their justification? What I mean is, wouldn't a heart of gratefulness be concomitant with the "turning back" (I assume "metanoia" is what he is referring to with that phrase)?

[Moncler Billig]

Nice, and thanks for sharing this info with us.Good Luck!