What allows us to respond to God’s grace? The answer is: God’s grace! God does not wait until we are ready, until we are prepared and certainly not until we are deserving. Rather, God gives us grace so that we may know and respond further to the grace we are given. How will we respond to such great gifts?

Because God is love, God’s grace is a gift of love that invites us into relationship with God, the source of our existence. God is truly present to us in the Eucharist and all the Sacraments, offering us the free gift of his grace – his very Self. God’s grace is also to be found in the ordinary events of our lives. The sacred hides in the stuff of our lives; the holy does not inhabit a distant realm beyond us. All created things are signs of God that we decipher in order to find our way to God. We can explore with students the varied ways we can unwrap this divine gift.

Responding in Prayer. Jesus has taught us the perfect way to pray in the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer has all various kinds of prayer in one: God’s name is glorified, his plans for creation be fulfilled, we realize how God cares for us and gives us what we need, our daily bread and forgiveness of our sins. We pledge to forgive others, confident that God will defend us from harm. This is the tradition of the Church to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day. If we do this, our relationship with God will be in right order and so will your priorities. When will your class pray the Lord’s Prayer during the school day?

Responding by Remembering. Sometimes our prayer can get formal and abstract. St. Ignatius taught his followers to examine their lives each day and learn to recognize God’s will in the reality of the situation. It is called the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen keeps our feet on the ground. This reflective, Spirit-led review of the day grounds our prayer in concrete reality. Because we are God’s sons and daughters living in a world that he loves and sustains, we can be assured that we can hear his voice in our lives in this world.

Responding with Gratitude. Ultimately, our response to God’s grace must be to thank him. The more we give thanks, the more we are expressing of our awareness of our reliance on God. Our response includes a change in attitude. When we realize that it is God’s world and God’s work we are invited to join, we will gain a new perspective on life.

Responding in Action. God’s grace will lead us to be Christ to others and equip us with courage to do his will. After hearing the message of Catholic teaching, students should identify ways to be a blessing to others through their words and deeds. Plan each week to emphasize the Respond element of your faith formation lessons in Blest Are We Faith in Action.