Saved by Grace

He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began.
- 2 Timothy 1:9

God saved us and called us to be holy, not because of anything we've done, but because that was always His plan, even before time began. Jesus was with God right from the beginning, and His saving grace was bestowed on us long before He came to earth as a man and died on a cross.

We don't think much about Jesus existing before He became man, but both He and the Holy Spirit were always a part of God. Jesus is the Word that God spoke, the Word that created the world. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, the wind that sweeps across the waters of the abyss while the earth is still a formless wasteland, and He is also the breath of life that God blows into Adam.

If we are saved because it is God's plan, and not because of anything we've done, does this mean that what we do doesn't matter? No. We are saved and called to be holy. Being holy means doing God's will. And God's will is that we love our neighbor as our self, and believe in the truth of the Risen Jesus.

Jesus has been bestowing His grace on us since before time began. Mary will also pour out her many graces on you, if you ask her to. So pray for that. Accept the graces of Jesus and Mary, and use them to lead a holy life, just as God called us to do when He saved us.