Grace is Training Us

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There is a line in today’s first reading from Titus that we can easily pass over: “The grace of God has appeared… training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires.” We usually think of grace as something that comforts us, forgives us, or rescues us. And of course it does. But St Paul says grace also trains us. Grace is not God simply saying, “It doesn’t matter how you live.” Grace is God saying, “I love you too much to leave you where you are.”

That is a good way to understand St Leo the Great. He lived in a time when the Church faced confusion, division, political instability, and fear. Yet Leo did not respond by watering down the faith. He helped the Church remember who Christ is and, because of that, who we are. He famously reminded Christians of their dignity. In other words: if Christ has claimed you, then live like someone who belongs to Christ. Our problem is that sometimes we want the identity without the conversion. We want to be called Christian without allowing Christ to change our habits, our speech, our relationships, or the hidden parts of our lives.

And maybe that is where today’s reading becomes uncomfortable. Paul speaks about self-control, integrity, sound speech, and living lives that are good. None of these things sound dramatic. There is no spectacular miracle here. It is simply the slow work of becoming holy. Sometimes we imagine holiness as doing extraordinary things for God. But often holiness is much simpler: controlling the words we want to say, refusing the gossip we want to repeat, being patient when we are irritated, doing the right thing when nobody notices, and getting up again after we fail. Grace trains us in the ordinary.

Think about training for anything worthwhile. Nobody becomes strong by going to the gym once. Nobody becomes a musician by practising one afternoon. Nobody becomes holy because of one powerful retreat or one emotional moment in prayer. God forms us through repeated choices. Every time we choose patience instead of anger, purity instead of temptation, generosity instead of selfishness, truth instead of convenience, something is happening inside us. Grace is forming the heart. And sometimes the change is so slow that we do not notice it but God does.

So maybe today, through the example of St Leo, the question is not simply, “Do I believe in Jesus?” The deeper question is: Am I allowing Jesus to train me? Where is He asking me to grow up spiritually? Where have I become too comfortable? What habit, attitude, resentment, or compromise have I excused for too long? The good news is that God does not ask us to transform ourselves by our own strength. The same grace that calls us to holiness gives us the strength to become holy. Our part is simply to stop resisting the training.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me as I am, but also for loving me enough to call me higher. Give me the grace to recognise where You are training my heart. Help me to choose what is good, even when it is difficult, and to remember the dignity of belonging to You. St Leo the Great, pray for us. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko