Grace is the expression of God’s active love. God’s love is the root of grace; grace itself is the dynamic flowering of this love; and the good things that result in life are the fruit of this divine process. Grace appears in many ways. Theologians speak of it as a love so abundant, so selfless, so endlessly overflowing as to surpass description. Jesus spoke of God as being our intimate, loving parent, and he wished for us to receive God’s love like little children.
It is very difficult to understand a mother’s love; she loves her baby, finally, just because he is her baby. God’s love for us may be something like this. We are God’s children, so we are simply loved. Ideally, an infant does not earn her parents’ love; they love the baby first. Because of this preexisting love, the parents care for their child. God “graces” us in similar ways. There is grace in the simple gift of our existence, in the opportunity to live consciously and appreciatively in this world, and in the goodness of our nature. There is grace in the natural steadiness of life, in the simple things God gives us. God spontaneously gives us beauty and breath and touches of love, just as parents give their children food and warmth naturally, almost automatically. And there is grace in the steady self-giving of God that protects our freedom and keeps us yearning.
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