Today is the last Sunday in our four week preparations for the great Solemnity of Christmas. Many institutions, parishes and religious congregations have organized some sort of spiritual programs of preparations, in the form of retreats, recollections, sacramental confessions, and some, corporal works of mercy. By feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and in some circumstances, burying the dead: especially the hundreds of our soldiers killed, due to banditry and Boko Haram attacks and are silently buried without any national honors. Preparing the right way is a means by which many Christians seek to find favour with God.
In the scriptures, there are people whose lives exemplify, how only He can bestow this incredible favour on them, in spite of their unworthiness. One of such is Mary the Mother of Jesus. “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you! But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:27-30).
Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation; and as an individual virtue or excellence of divine origin. While many schools of Buddhism emphasize self-discipline and effort as the path to enlightenment, something akin to the concept of divine grace is present as well. One of the most prominent examples of this is the doctrine of the Jodo Shinshu branch of Pure Land Buddhism, founded by the 12th-century Japanese monk, Shinran. In Buddhism, the concept of ‘merit’ refers to the power of good karma built up over time through meditation, effort and spiritual practice- in Japanese, ‘Jiriki’, or ‘self-power’.
Grace in Christianity is the free and unmerited favour of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowing of blessings. Common Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy (favor) that God gave to humanity by sending his Son, Jesus Christ to die on a cross, thus securing man’s eternal salvation from sin. Within Christianity, there are differing concepts of how grace is attained. In particular, Catholics and Reformed Protestants understand the attainment of grace in substantially different ways. It has been described as “the watershed that divides Catholicism from Protestantism, Calvinism from Arminianism, and modern liberalism from conservatism”. Catholic doctrine teaches that God has imparted Divine Grace upon humanity and uses the vehicle of Sacraments, which are carried out in faith, as a primary and effective means to facilitate the reception of his grace. For Catholics, sacraments carried out in faith are the incarnational or tangible vehicle through which God’s grace becomes personally and existentially received. Reformed Protestants, generally, do not share this sacramental view on the transmittal of grace, but instead favor a less institutionalized mechanism. For example, in the Catholic Church, the primary initiation into a state of grace is granted by God through baptism in faith instead of by a simple prayer of faith: (sinner’s prayer). Although, Catholics would not deny the possible efficacy of even a simple prayer for God’s grace to flow: which we see in Baptism by desire. In another example, for Catholics, the sacrament of reconciliation in faith is the primary means of transmitting grace after a mortal sin has been committed.
Hindu devotional or bhakti literature available throughout India and Nepal is replete with references to grace (kripa)) as the ultimate key required for spiritual self-realization. Some, such as the ancient sage Vasistha, in his classical work Yoga Vasistha, considered it to be the only way to transcend the bondage of lifetimes of karma. One Hindu philosopher, Madhvacharya, held that grace was not a gift from God, but rather must be earned.
Salafi scholar Umar Sulayman al- Ashqar, dean of the Faculty of Islamic Law at Zarga Private University in Zarga, Jordan, wrote that “Paradise is something of immense value; a person cannot earn it by virtue of his deeds alone, but by the Grace and Mercy of Allah.” This stance is supported by hadith: according to Abu Huraira, Muhammad once said that “None amongst you can get into Paradise by virtue of his deeds alone … not even I, but that Allah should wrap me in his grace and mercy. The Quran says “God is the Possessor of Infinite Grace” and “He bestows this grace upon whomsoever He wills (or desires).Grace is something attainable by those here on earth from God who meet certain Quranic criteria. For example, they “believe in God and His messengers”, and they “race toward forgiveness from their Lord and a Paradise whose width encompasses the heavens and the earth.
For us Christians, we see in Mary an example of God’s grace in action. A favour granted to her without her working hard to earn it. God is the reason for our Christmas celebration. With His action in the life of Mary, he transformed the lowliest of women into a spiritual power house of faith, and mercy. In the midst of all that bedevils our world. All we can hope and pray for is the unmerited favour of beholding his face at the end of our earthly sojourn. May his words come to us again as it did through the angels. Do not be afraid, for YOU have found favour with God.
MERRY CHRISTMAS DEAR READER!!!
Fr Stephen Ojapah is a priest of the Missionary Society of St Paul. He is equally the director for Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism for the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, a member of IDFP. He is also a KAICIID Fellow. ([email protected])
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