– Te Rama Aroha The Light of Love Cross Themes –
Mana Tapu Grace
Young people will develop an understanding that God continually offers Mana Tapu Grace to us, that life is full of times and moments of grace, that experience of mana tapu is an experience of God, and that we can share God’s grace with each other and all creation.
• John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• Colossians 1:6 — … the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.
• 2 Timothy 1:9 — [God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
• 2 Corinthians 8:7 — But as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you — see that you excel in this act of grace also.
• Ephesians 1:7 — In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
• Acts 20:24 — However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
• Hebrews 4:16 — Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
• Romans 11:16 — If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
• [Sacraments] impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity. (Sacrosanctum Concilium. #59)
• By grace we mean God’s free, loving gift to us, God’s helping goodness, the vitality that comes from God. Through the Cross and Resurrection, God is devoted entirely to us and communicates God’s self to us in grace. Grace is everything God grants us, without our deserving it in the least. (CCC 1996-1998, 2005, 2021)
> “Grace”, says Pope Benedict XVI, “is being looked upon by God, our being touched by his love.”
> “Grace is not a thing, but rather God’s communication of the divine to humanity. God never gives less than God’s self.” (Based on YouCat #338)
• In grace we are in God. God’s grace brings us into the inner life of the Holy Trinity, into the exchange of love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It makes us capable of living in God’s love and of acting on the basis of this love. (CCC 1999-2000, 2003-2004, 2023-2024)
> Supernatural grace — Grace is infused in us from above and cannot be explained in terms of natural causes.
> Sanctifying grace — Grace makes us — especially through Baptism — children of God and heirs of heaven.
> Habitual grace — Grace bestows on us a permanent disposition to do good.
> Actual grace — Grace helps us to know, to will, and to do everything that leads us to what is good, to God, and to heaven.
> Sacramental grace — Grace comes about in a special way in the Sacraments, which according to the will of our Saviour are the preeminent places for our encounter with God.
> Graces of state — Grace is manifested also in special gifts of grace (Charisms) that are granted to individual Christians or in special powers that are promised to those in the state of marriage, the ordained state, or the religious state. (Based on YouCat #339)
• God’s grace is freely bestowed on a person, and it seeks and summons us to respond in complete freedom. Grace does not compel. God’s love wants our free assent. (CCC 2001-2002, 2022)
One can also say ‘no’ to the offer of grace. Grace, nevertheless, is not something external or foreign to humanity; it is what we actually yearn for in deepest freedom. In moving us by God’s grace, God anticipates our free response. (Based on YouCat #340)
It is important to reflect on the experience and examples of Mana Tapu Grace in your own context. In terms of your own school and wider community within Aotearoa New Zealand:
• What are some past examples of grace?
• What are some examples of the opposite of grace?
• Where do you see grace today at your place, and elsewhere in this country?
While teaching and learning within Content Areas is based on specific Cross Theme Achievement Objectives, the following provides foci for supporting awareness of where Touchstones connect to the Cross Themes in a whole-school Catholic character context.
Young people will develop an understanding that God continually offers Mana Tapu Grace to us, that life is full of times and moments of grace, that experience of mana tapu is an experience of God, and that we can share God’s grace with each other and all creation.
