One catechism states: “Grace is a supernatural gift of God bestowed on us through the merits of Jesus Christ for our salvation.”
A Carthusian Monk wrote, “There are two kinds of grace: the grace that is transitory and the grace that abides, the grace of action and the grace of union, the grace of work and the grace of life, actual grace and habitual grace.”
Father Patrick Gearon pointed out that actual grace gets different names according to the way in which we look at it. In so far as it urges us, it is called “exciting grace.” In so far as it actually helps, it is called “helping grace.” Actual grace is the illumination (the enlightening) of the intellect plus the inspiration (the urge) of the will.
St. Catherine of Siena was permitted by God to see the beauty of a soul in the state of sanctifying (habitual) grace. Her spiritual director, Blessed Raymond of Capua, asked her to describe to him, as far as she was able, the beauty of the soul she had seen.
St. Catherine said, “My father, I cannot find anything in this world that can give you the smallest idea of what I have seen. Oh, if you could but see the beauty of a soul in the state of grace, you would sacrifice your life a thousand times for its salvation. I asked the angel who was with me what had made that soul so beautiful, and he answered me, ‘It is the image and likeness of God in that soul, and the Divine Grace which made it so beautiful.’”
Through sanctifying grace, we become participators of the Divine Nature. Father Patrick Gearon pointed out that by grace we participate, in five ways, in certain things belonging to God. We participate in (a) his power, (b) his knowledge, (c) his liberty, (d) his joy, and (e) his peace.
We participate in the power of God in the moral sphere against temptation and in the sphere of physical evil through the supernaturalization of suffering.
We participate in the knowledge of God in matters that are supernatural. Father Gearon wrote, “The more sanctified people are, the more they grasp the things of God.”
Spiritual liberty consists in God breaking the bonds of sin for us. Moreover, “Grace frees us from seeking our own glory in our actions. It helps us to seek only God’s glory, and we become indifferent to other things.”
Divine joy is the glow of spiritual health and divine peace comes from a good conscience. Father Gearon wrote, “A divine joy is such an indispensable result of Christian Holiness that Pope Benedict XIV made its presence in the soul one of the conditions for Beatification.”
The principal ways of obtaining grace are prayer and the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.
Some dioceses and religious orders honour Our Lady on May 8 under the title Mediatrix of All Graces. Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP pointed out this title is becoming to Mary for two principle reasons: “because she cooperated by satisfaction and merit in the sacrifice of the cross; and because she does not cease to intercede for us, to obtain for us, and to distribute to us all the graces that we receive.”
Father Garrigou-Lagrange wrote, “In the Litany of Loreto, which has been universally recited in the Church for many centuries, Mary is for this reason called: ‘Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comforter of the afflicted, help of Christians, queen of apostles, of martyrs, of confessors, of virgins.’ Thus all kinds of graces are distributed by her, even, in a sense, those of the sacraments; for she merited them for us in union with Christ on Calvary. In addition, she disposes us, by her prayer, to approach the sacraments and to receive them well. At times she even sends us a priest, without whom this sacramental help would not be given to us.”
St. Alphonsus said, “Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that no one shall obtain salvation except through her intercession.”
聖母為我們獲得聖寵
一端要理問答稱：『聖寵是天主超聖的恩賜經由耶穌基督救世的功勞為了我們的救恩而施與我們。』一位加都西會的隱修士寫道：『聖寵有兩種：短暫的和停留的，行動的聖寵和結合的聖寵，工作的聖寵和生命的聖寵，寵佑和寵愛。』
Patrick Geron神父指出寵佑能有不同的名字是我們怎樣看它。它催促我們便是『激勵的聖寵』。它真的幫了我們便是『幫助的聖寵』。寵佑是明悟的照明（啟發）和意志的靈感（催促）。
天主容許聖女加大肋納去看見靈魂在寵愛時的美麗。她的神師，真福雷蒙加布請她盡可能去形容她所見靈魂的美麗。聖加大肋納說：『我的父親，我不能在世上找到任何事物，能夠相似所見美麗中的最小一部份。噢，如果你能夠見到在寵愛中靈魂的美，你會為救贖它犧牲你一千次的生命。我問與我一起的天使什麼使靈魂這般美麗他答道：「是靈魂內天主的肖像，是聖寵使它這般美麗。」』
通過聖寵我們成為天主性的參與者。Patrick Gearon神父指出，通過聖寵，我們在某種屬於天主的事情上，以五種路向參與a)祂的力量，b)祂的知識，c)祂的自由，d)祂的喜樂，e)祂的平安。
我們參與天主的力量是在道德的領域內對抗誘惑並藉將痛苦超聖化而去面對物質的邪惡。
我們在超聖的事物上參與天主的知識。Gearon神父寫道：『愈是聖化的人，掌握愈多天主的事物。』
靈性的自由在於天主打斷我們罪惡的鎖鏈。此外，『聖寵讓我們擺脫在自己的行為中追尋自我的光榮。它幫我們找尋天主的光榮，我們變成對其他事物不苟緊。』
神聖的喜樂是靈性健康的光采，神聖的喜樂來自好的良心。Gearon神父寫道：『一份神聖的喜樂是基督徒神聖不可少的一個效果，以致教宗本篤十四世，使它在心靈中的臨在成為列真福品的條件。』
要獲得聖寵主要方法是祈禱和聖事，特別是聖體聖事。
一些教區和修會在5月8日慶祝聖母為諸寵中保。Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.神父指出，有兩個原因聖母能有此名銜：『因為她在十字架的犧牲中的以補贖和立功勞來配合；並因為她不停地為我們轉求，為我們獲得和分發所有的聖寵給我們。』
Garrigou-Lagrange寫道：『在多世紀來，普世頌念的聖母德敍禱文中，瑪利亞是我們呼求的理由：「病人之痊，罪人之托，憂苦之慰，進教之佑，諸宗徒之后，諸為義致命之后，諸童貞之后。」所以一切的聖寵都是由她分發的，甚至在某程度上聖事的聖寵亦然；她與基督在加爾亞略山的結合為我們賺得這聖寵。此外，她藉祈禱準備我們去接近和善領聖事。有時候，她為我們送來神父，沒有他們聖事不能為我們施放。』
聖雅風說：『瑪利亞在我們的救贖中的參與是多麼的光榮天主和多麼的愛了我們，我主頒令，除了經過她的轉求，沒有人能獲救恩。』
