Grace: Assignment #5

O Lord You surround me with grace

From birth to death and beyond.

Though I fail to do what your law says,

Enable me to fulfill your command.

Your grace is the answer, your grace is the key.

Let your grace heal the cancer,

Of my thoughts towards me.

Let your love wash me gently,

Let your love make me pure.

In the grace you have mend me,

For grace is the cure.

Type of Prayer:

Petitionary Psalm

Terms and/or Concepts:

“You surround me with grace.”  In theSumma, Q. 109, Art. 2,Aquinas follows Augustine in saying that without the grace of God humans can do nothing good.  And so, it is necessary for the psalmist to declare his state of need as well as his faith in the goodness of God to make up the difference.

“I fail to do what your law says.”   Summa, Q. 109, Art. 4 –Aquinas states that man “cannot fulfill the commandments of the law without grace.”

“Let your grace heal the cancer.”   Summa, Q. 109, Art. 9 –Aquinas distinguishes between the habit and the act required to make one whole, both of which are acquired through grace.  In this case, a habitual gift is required to heal the corrupted human nature.

“Let your love make me pure.”  Summa, Q. 111, Art. 1 –Aquinas distinguishes between sanctifying grace and gratuitous grace.  In this case, the psalmist recognizes his need for the first kind..

“Grace is the cure.”  Summa, Q. 111, Art. 3 –Grace is supplied at every stage in Aquinas' view.  It makes one conscious of sin through law, it heals one from the sting of death, it leads on in charitable deeds to glory... it is therefore both prevenient and subsequent, it is the cure-all.