Grace, Grace, and More GraceI

 I have been re- reading a wonderful book by Harvey Eagan called Karl Rahner: Mystic of Everyday Life.  Karl Rahner, the greatest theologian of the 20th century (in my opinion), maintained that every person is the subject of "the always-offered grace of God's self-communication."  We call that self-communication of God The Holy Spirit.

Rahner also believed that "the devout Christian of the future will either be a mystic, one who has experienced 'something,' or he will cease to be anything at all."  

Jesus said, "I have come to case fire upon the earth, and what would I but that it be kindled" (Luke 12:49).  Those who maintain that Jesus is only a great teacher have not yet caught the fire He came to give.  The reason He came was to give us the Holy Spirit, who will "teach [us] all things and lead [us] into Truth."

There is much to be said and studied about the Role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  For those who want to understand and receive more, I will list some Scriptures at the end.  Reading/praying these Scriptures will bring us into communion with the Spirit Himself.  By opening the door to the "always-offered grace of God's self-communication," we can ready ourselves for the fire that Jesus came to give us.  Even better would be to study these Scriptures with a small group who can pray together for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and who can share together the result of grace, grace, and more grace!

According to Karl Rahner, here are the results of experiencing the 'something' he referred to (or the Role of the Holy Spirit in our lives):

--- a taste for prayer

--- a heart open to the mysteries of Scripture ("To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted" Matt. 13:11)

--- the experience of Christian community

--- a deep sense of ecumenism

--- a mysticism of everyday life: the finding of God in all things

--- consciousness of being under the special and personal guidance of the Holy Spirit  ["The mystic is absolutely sure that God and God alone is acting"]

--- an infused (or awakened) contemplation of Scripture and of life itself.

How do we get there?  God has already opened the door for us; we just have to walk through it (see John 10).  Here are some great starting places:

John 14-16

Matthew 7 and Luke 11

Zechariah 4:6

Acts 1

Luke 12:49 and Matt 3:11

Galatians 5:22;   Isaiah 11:1ff;  I Cor. 13

Isaiah 12:3 and John 4:10  (Read together)