Chapter 1 - Habitual Grace (The State of Sanctifying Grace)

THE Essence of Grace

1.

It is a Judeo-Christian revelation that God loves us.

We will never completely understand God's love for us.

2.

The first act in which God pours out Himself for us is in creation.

God is in creation as the Cause of it; but He also transcends creation.

The second act in which God pours out Himself is indwelling.

This refers to God pouring out Himself to a greater extent to those who love Him and are open to His grace. It is more secret and more hidden.

God cannot dwell in material things this way, but indwelling only occurs with spirits. The extent of God's indwelling in a soul is conditioned by the extent that grace has transformed the soul and prepared it for divine indwelling.

3.

The word "grace" has three interdependent senses:

God's love pours out being and goodness into things.

Man's love builds on the being and goodness already in things.

God's uncreated favour (grace) is given to us, symbolized by a gift, which moves us to thanksgiving.

4.

God's love can be divided into two "kinds":

i. common love = God's general love for all created things

ii. special love = God's love which purifies man and makes rational man a sharer in divine life

5.

There are, then, two universes:

i. the universe of natures = the universe of animals, plants, rocks, man, angels, etc.... The

connection between God and man is not found here.

ii. the universe of the supernatural = the universe of man redeemed in Christ;

man's nature elevated by grace. God comes out to meet man.

6.

God does not use us as occasions for grace. No, He has created the universe of natures, with us in it, and He allows everything to act on its own, in its own way.

God puts in us a permanent quality called habitual grace. Habitual grace is not like a ray of light that passes through us, then lets us fall back into sin; habitual grace is a permanent enriching with the roots of love, enabling us to willingly perform acts of love.

This permanent state is referred to as "being in the state of grace".

7.

Grace is a participation in the Divine Nature. It is both finite and infinite.

Grace is a finite participation in the infinite divine nature.

8.

Biblical examples of Divine Indwelling:

1 Cor 3:16-17

1 Cor 6:19-20

2 Cor 6:16

Rom 8:9

John 14:23

Rev 3:20

9.

The indwelling of the Divine Persons is the source, grace is the effect. You do not have grace unless you first have the Holy Trinity dwelling within your soul.

10.

If grace makes us participators in the Divine Nature, then grace makes us children of God.

If Jesus is also the Son of God, then we are his brothers and sisters.

If Jesus is heir, we shall be coheirs.

Jesus is Son of God by nature, we are children of God by creation and adoption.

We are children of God by adoption because of the free effect of Divine Goodness (grace)--by a finite participation in the infinite nature of God.



http://www.amazon.ca/Meaning-Grace-Charles-Cardinal-Journet/dp/0933932944

The 7 R's of Personal Management

The 7 R's of Personal Management - Brian Tracy

To answer the question: What am I worth (money-wise)

1. Reevaluate your situation
2. Reorganize your life
3. Restructure your activities
4. Reengineer your career
5. Reinvent yourself regularly
6. Refocus your energies
7. Become a master of change

http://www.briantracy.com/blog/personal-success/how-much-should-i-earn/

Project Management - 24 steps to help you master any project - Gary R. Heerkens

1. Do not feel your way around - Understand the project manager's role

2. Do not do it all yourself - Build a solid team

3. Do not accept any solution - Understand the true need

4. Do not disregard return on an investment - Perform a financial analysis

5. Do not just "get going" - Conduct a formal kickoff

6. Do not stick to the original vision - Pause for reality checks

7. Do not simply "finish what you start" - Terminate unworthy projects

8. Do not "plunge into action" - Develop a logical plan

9. Do not pin down details - Leave room for learning

10. Do not manage individually - Understand team dynamics

11. Do not introduce processes as needed - Develop a configuration plan

12. Do not manage in splendid isolation - Manage all project stakeholders

13. Do not adjust targets as needed - Measure against a baseline

14. Do not adopt a "can-do" attitude - Be objective about threats

15. Do not let communication happen naturally - Actively manage communication channels

16. Do not optimize functional excellence - Optimize project excellence

17. Do not manage in the present - Consider post-project issues

18. Do not manage everything - Manage interfaces

19. Do not manage "outwardly" - Practice self-management

20. Do not hit basic project targets - Recognize multiple success metrics

21. Do not avoid documentation - Use documentation wisely

22. Do not reward heroes - Reward excellent term behaviours

23. Do not tie up loose ends - Maximize learning from closure

24. Do not move on when finished - Transfer your "lessons learned"

http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Master-Mighty-Managers/dp/0071486526

Victory over Vice - Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Victory over Vice is an excellent book by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Here are some useful points about the book:

1. As the title suggests, this short book of 114 pages tackles vice in terms of the 7 deadly sins.

2. The book dedicates one chapter to each of the 7 deadly sins.

3. From a self-help standpoint, Victory over Vice deals with our problems from an all-encompassing ("Catholic") view: our simple problems in daily life are not one-dimensional, but are linked to the 7 deadly sins.

4. Based on this, we realize that family problems, personal problems, productivity problems, work problems all have their root in the 7 deadly sins.

5. Contemporary self-help literature attempts to beat down the effect instead of strike at the roots of the problem. Archbishop Sheen strikes at the root of all our problems: sin (vice). This book is an excellent resource.

http://www.amazon.ca/Victory-Over-Vice-Fulton-Sheen/dp/192883230X

The 3 P's EXTENSION PACK - How to conquer procrastination

Prioritize -

Rate the things in your life in order of importance. As a Catholic, God should come first, family second, work and other things third... give attention to the most important things first, and the less important things last.

Triage according to this rubric:

YES do these MAYBE do these NO don't do these

Things we want to do Things we want to do Things we don't want

and have to do but don't have to do to do and don't have

to do

Things we have to do

but don't want to do

This P, PRIORITY, gets rid of LATENESS

Propriety -

Do things the right way

To understand Propriety, follow the Bill of Rights

Bill of Rights

. Do the right thing

. Do it for the right reasons

. Do it with the right people

. Do it at the right time

. Do it in the right order

. Do it with intensity

. Do it for the right results

This P, PROPRIETY, gets rid of POOR QUALITY WORK

Commitment -

YA GOTTA WANNA be on-time and on-target in life. You must WANT to improve your life.

Commitment talks about your values, why you are committed to them and how much you are actually committed to them.

Here is a simple questionnaire to help you in this regard:

1. Describe your priorities as you perceive them at this moment.

2. How committed are you to these priorities?

3. What do you personally believe to be the most important aspect of propriety?

. Do the right thing

. Do it for the right reasons

. Do it with the right people

. Do it at the right time

. Do it in the right order

. Do it with intensity

. Do it for the right results

4. Can you define your personal vision? What is your purpose/mission? What is your picture of the future?

5. What your most important values?

6. How committed are you to those values?

7. What are your short-term goals?

8. How about your long-term goals?

9. When it comes to integrity:

- Are you committed to the truth?

- Are you true to yourself?

10. Are you willing to follow through on your commitments?

- No matter what the ultimate cost?

- No matter what the potential consequences?

This P, COMMITMENT, gets rid of NOT ACCOMPLISHING OR FINISHING ANYTHING.

The three P's together in action teach you how and when to say "yes" and "no".

The 3 P's - How to conquer procrastination

Priority - triage everything

Propriety - Remember the Bill of Rights

Commitment - "I gotta wanna"

By Ken Blanchard & Steve Gottry