Quotes about Grace

God has to work on the soul in secret and in darkness because if we fully knew what was happening and what Mystery-Transformation-God-Grace will eventually ask of us we would either try to take charge or stop the whole process. No one oversees his or her own demise willingly even when it is the false self that is dying.

Whenever God is conceived in the soul, it is always an allowing, never an accomplishment.

True religion is always a deep intuition that we are already participating in something very good, in spite of our best efforts to deny it or avoid it.

God shocks and stuns us into love. God does not love us if we change, God loves us so that we can change.

Grace is always a punishment for us.

Thérèse, almost counter to reason, says: "Whoever is willing to serenely bear the trial of being displeasing to herself, that person is a pleasant place of shelter for Jesus.

Those who walk the full and entire journey are considered "called" or "chosen" in the Bible, perhaps "fated" or "destined" in world mythology and literature, but always they are the ones who have heard some deep invitation to "something more," and set out to find it by both grace and daring.

The path to Christian perfection always runs across the collapse of our own moral efforts and self-established ideals.

There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.

God knows we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace he requires no more than he gives, but gives what he requires, and accepts what he gives.

Better to be in trouble with Christ, than in peace without him.

What is the gospel itself but a merciful moderation, in which Christ's obedience is esteemed ours, and our sins laid upon him, wherein God, from being a judge, becomes our Father, pardoning our sins and accepting our obedience, though feeble and blemished? We are now brought to heaven under the covenant of grace by a way of love and mercy.