Grazioso

Gracefulness is a virtue of a peaceful soul. It is an art form of beautiful willingness while displaying an elegant manner. Some people are naturally gifted with grace, but it is a state of gentle acceptance which can be developed with patience and practice. Unexpectedly, divine grace may befall you during certain circumstances through God's mercy.  One must just be open to the flow of life's forces that make the world go 'round ....pushing you forward; pulling you back; or moving you around in circles.

 

Grazioso involves cheerfully working with the matter along your path with efficient spiritual energy and elegant expression despite the circumstances. Inner soulful transformations are calmly implemented.  Friction can slow transformations;  but as long as forces are kept unbalanced with love, hope, and joy, divine motion will continue with acceleration or with a change in direction. Openness initiates a positive change instead of a negative change which indicates a slowing of spiritual growth. Resistance is the inertia of problems and stagnation. Some people think that if they could only get to a point of balance, then they could move forward, but balanced forces do not move objects. As Sir Issac Newton discovered as he wrote his three Laws of Motion, unbalanced forces are required to initiate, maintain, or change motion. To obtain a state of gracefulness, one must react to life's actions with faith, courage, and discipline.  These positive reactions will propel you to higher states of grace bringing you closer to the finish line...........happiness and heaven. 

 Jerry Bridges, author of The Pursuit of Holiness, mentions in his book, Transforming Grace, that God's grace is not given to make you feel better, but to glorify Him.  Bridges believes that good feelings may or may not come.  The real issue is whether or not you honor God by the way you respond to your circumstances.  If you apply what Newton found out about forces, then when forces in your circumstances have increased and the acceleration of your spiritual growth is held at a steady rate, the mass of your gracefulness will increase. If the rate of your spiritual growth decreases, then your ability to deal with struggles and challenges (forces) will decrease leaving your gracefulness stagnant.  Gracefulness is not magic. It is a level of virtue which is achieved through constant faithful trial and error. Waiting for calmer or easier (balanced) circumstances will leave you with high inertia.  Don't allow laziness or fear to grab a hold of your heart.  This type of resistance is hard to overcome once it is set in place. 

When a good day comes along, praise God and be grateful for the blessing.  When a forceful day springs up, praise God for the challenge and respond with grace.  He will respond to your peaceful actions with His Divine mercy and grace. As Richard Carlson wrote in his book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, the trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low.  He claims that the happiest person on Earth isn't always happy.  They have their own share of struggles, disappointments, and heart-ache.  It's not about how low they may land, but its how these people relate to their surroundings and feelings. People who appear to always be happy relate to their feelings with openness and wisdom which they have gained through spiritual growth  and understanding. 

May I always remember to be grateful for blessings and graceful as I patiently await mercy.
May our model of gracefulness, Our Lady of Grace, pray for my intentions of peacefulness and cheerfulness.

St. Raphael, pray for the physical, emotional & spiritual healing of my loved ones and all marriages. 

St. Francis De Sales, pray for the wisdom and knowledge of all teachers.

St. Florian, pray for the safety & protection of all firefighters & emergency responders. 

- little petunia