St. Paul reminds us that in Christ we all become God’s adopted children. Our first parents fell from their original state of grace which put humanity in a state of sin, made us mortal and also vulnerable to base and evil desires. However, in Christ we are liberated from the yoke of sin, assured of eternal life with the Father, and receive the grace to overcome evil. And this is why Jesus came: to reveal that we all enjoy the richness of God’s grace, His love and boundless mercy. On the other hand, the Pharisees and the scholars with their scrupulous observance of the law, devoid of compassion and justice made God out to be a cold, heartless tyrant! These self-righteous Jewish leaders followed God’s Laws to the letter as recorded in the Torah, but rejected the word of God that came through his prophets, and in the process deprived the common people from receiving God’s message.

Graces and blessings are best enjoyed when they are shared with others. Do I share mine?

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Avila who is well known for her life of prayer. She believed that “Prayer is the doorway to great graces; if this doorway is closed I do not see how God can bestow any graces”.