“There but for the grace of God go I.” The phrase invites us to reflect on what Jesus taught about grace. Interestingly, Jesus never used the word grace during His earthly ministry. In the four Gospels, the term appears only twice, and never from Jesus’ own lips. Luke tells us that “the grace of God was on Jesus” as a child, and John contrasts the law given through Moses with the grace and truth that came through Christ. Much of our understanding of grace, then comes from the teachings of the early Church.
One of the first substantial explanations appears in the Book of Acts and in Paul’s writings. We learn that we are “justified freely… by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Grace restores us to right relationship with God. Through Christ’s atonement, God “passed over the sins previously committed,” allowing us to repent, be forgiven, and ultimately share in resurrection. Grace is not earned; it is freely given, and it makes possible every step of our spiritual journey.
Grace has shaped my own life in profound ways. God blessed me with a vivid memory, allowing me to recall moments from my youth that later became anchors of faith. I was born in 1952, during a time when my aunt and uncle were facing a heartbreaking crisis with my cousin Sharon. “Sharon had been born and lived a completely normal life… when slowly my aunt noticed her skills diminishing.” Specialists eventually discovered a rapidly growing brain tumor. The only option was a dangerous surgery involving two total lobotomies. When my uncle asked about her chances, the doctor told him survival was fifty‑fifty. Without surgery, she would certainly die. “After prayerful consideration the decision was made to operate.”
Sharon survived the operation but remained in a coma for two and a half years. My aunt and uncle never stopped praying. One Sunday, my uncle awoke remembering a dream about Sharon’s love for new socks, something he had promised her after the surgery. He placed a pair in her hands and called her name. In that moment, her closed eyes began to move. What followed was years of tireless work as my aunt retrained her from infancy to independence, without the benefit of therapy, which did not exist then. Sharon lived for 40 years. Parish priests, nuns, and church members visited often, offering support that left a deep impression on me.
Decades later, when my third child, Mikey, was born with life‑threatening conditions, the memory of Sharon’s healing returned to me with full force. Her life had been a miracle, and I soon witnessed miracle after miracle in Mikey’s 34 precious years. His story is told more fully in my YouTube testimony, but anyone who met him knows what a gift he was.
May the grace of our Almighty Father live in your life today and every day.
Jim Haywood, Ministerium Financial Secretary
