For the Forgiveness, For the Love for All...

"Instead of seeing life as an opportunity to make a big splash,
I think that Henri Nouwen essentially saw life as a gift, and
the creation of life as an expression of God's love.
It therefore follows that how we live becomes part of our conversation
with God, and
our words and actions form a response to
our having been not only created, but loved.
Henri went out and did things in the world
because he was living out his experience of God's love."

Michael O'Laughlin,  from the book, "God's Beloved. A Spiritual Biography of Henri Nouwen"

The resurrection of Jesus was a hidden event.
Jesus didn't rise from the grave to baffle his opponents, to make a victory statement, or
to prove to those who crucified him that he was right after all.
Jesus rose as a sign to those who loved him and followed him that
God's divine love is stronger than death.

To the women and men who committed themselves to him,
he revealed that his mission had been fulfilled.
To those who shared in his ministry,
he gave the sacred task to call all people into new life within him.

The world didn't take notice.
Only those whom he called by name, with whom he broke bread and
to whom he spoke words of peace, were aware of what happened.
Still, it was this hidden event that freed humanity from the shackles of death.

---- Henri Nouwen from the book, "Eternal Seasons"

I would like to share with you the one chapter out of
"Outlines of the Catholic Faith", Revised Edition, which I find
the most relevant in my personal life.
 
A. Santifying grace is a free gift of God which allows us to become
children of God, to share in the divine nature, and to inherit eternal life.
B. Sanctifying grace is the very life of God given to us
through Christ in the sacraments.
Sanctifying grace is the gift of God's life to us.
Throught it, we put on Christ and live Christ's life.
The gift of sanctifying grace might be compared on a human level
to the gift of human life.
Since we have human life, we can eat, hear, sense, smell, etc.
Just as with human life, there are certain powers or capabilities
that come with sanctifying grace.
These powers are called virtues.
A virtue is a habit of doing what is good.
Just as a skilled pilot easily handles ordinary situations in the cockpit,
so a virtuous person easily does what is good.
C. Sanctifying grace gives us the theological virtues of
faith, hope and charity.
DEFG ..omitted
H. Sanctifying grace strengthens and helps us further develop
the human virtues, also called moral virtues.
I. The moral virtues are grouped around four key virtues
called the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.
J. Prudence is the moral virtue by which we know our true good and
choose the right means of achieving it.
Prudence perfects the intellect.
A prudent person will avoid situations where they could be tempted
to sin.
A prudent person will not attempt to master a skill or profession
which is not suited to his or her talents.
Prudence is especially necessay in choosing a vocation.
K. Justice is the moral virtue by which we give what is owed to God
and others. Justice perfects the will.
A just person recognizes in each and every human person
the spark of the divine and treats every person with dignity.
L. Fortitude is the moral virtue by which we resist temptations and
overcome obstacles. Fortitude helps us moderate fear.
Fortitude is sometimes called courage.
A person with fortitude will face what is necessary in life,
even those things which are unpleasant.
M. Temperance is the moral virtue by which we moderate
our desire for pleasurable goods.
Temperance helps us control our enjoyment of sensual pleasures.
A temperate person does not eat or drink too much.
A temperate person mederates the sexual drive.
N. Sanctifying grace also brings with it the gifts of the holy spirit:
wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety,
and fear of the Lord.
O. Those who possess santifying grace are able to act
according to the fruits of the holy spirit:
charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity,
gentleness, faithfullness, modesty, self-control, chastity.
P. Those who possess sanctifying grace perform the spiritual
and corporal works of mercy.
 
Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and
by a perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are
purified and elevated by divine grace.
With God's help, they forge character and give facility
in the practice of the good.
The virtuous man is happy to practice them.
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, no 1810)