By Brenda Hopf
Connecting Faith and Life
It was a “red flag” kind of day at the beach as I watched the waves hit the shoreline with an intimidating force. Most people are probably disappointed when the red flag is out, but not me. You see, I am one of those people … you know, the kind of person who loves the beach but is not particularly fond of getting into the water, so a “red flag” kind of day is just fine with me.
When I am at the beach my favorite thing to do is walk along the shoreline. As I look at the vastness of it all, I cannot help but think about God, especially on this day when the waves are crashing harder than usual. There is no other explanation as to how something so breathtaking and grand exists.
As I walked along the shore on this particular day of vacation, I let my imagination carry my thoughts. I imagined the waves crashing at my feet as a portrayal of God doing everything within his power to offer me his infinite grace. As the waves hit, I imagined that God was placing grace right at my feet like grains of sand.
Then I looked up and saw the countless grains of sand that stretched for as far as I could see. A sadness I cannot describe washed over me as I realized that those grains that remained on the beach represented the times I have rejected his offer of grace by my sinful ways. I often get so caught up in my own plans, that I forget that God has a plan for me. When I have doubts, I must remind myself that if I use my free will to accept his grace, God will provide me with everything I need to carry out his plan.
Continuing down the shoreline, my thoughts took me to the week prior to vacation where I found myself sitting at a table with four other ladies, three participants and one table leader, awaiting the beginning of Women’s Cursillo No. 103. I know now that our table was a table full of grace, as I am sure was the case with every other table in that room. God had a plan for all of us for this three-day retreat and with the help of his grace we would slowly, but surely, see the light of Christ in ourselves and one another through a focus on prayer, by participating in Mass each day, and by listening to the presentations/talks given throughout the weekend.
I remember God’s grace being mentioned in many of the talks, with several talks being specifically about different kinds of grace. I believe this to be the reason grace was on my mind as I walked the shoreline on this “red flag” kind of day.
God used the red flag itself as a means by which he offered me the grace to stop to reflect on my life. As I did so, I was inspired to share my thoughts on grace and tell you about the time I spent living Cursillo No. 103. God can and will use anything, even a red flag at the beach, to offer his grace to us.
It is with the help of the grace of God that I humbly ask each one of you to accept the power of God’s grace as your help in discerning the grace God is offering to you at this very moment. Is he calling you to live a Cursillo weekend, or if you have already done so, is God calling you to invite someone else to live a Cursillo weekend? Or is he calling you to something else? Be open to accepting his infinite grace for whatever he is putting on your heart at this time.
I pray that God will send you the grace to have a “red flag” day of your own; a day to take the time to reflect; a day to accept the power God’s grace; a day to consider if God is reaching out to you as you read this article, asking you to take action.
Brenda Hopf is a member of Divine Mercy Parish.