Saturday, September 12, 1998

Moments of Grace

By Loretta Fulton

Senior Staff Writer

When I became the newspaper's religion writer just over a year ago, one of the first things I did was create the Moments of Grace column.

I felt our religion section needed a space where readers could share everyday instances they later realized were "moments of grace" when God was working in their lives.

I explained that most likely those occurrences wouldn't be blinding, earth-stopping experiences, but they could be. Most moments of grace aren't so profound -- at the moment.

Usually they are recognized later, during times of reflection or perhaps when we hear someone else tell of a "moment" and realize we had one, too.

A year has passed and the response to Moments of Grace has been a moment of grace to me. The submissions have been wonderful, both in quantity and quality, and the cards and letters I get from readers tell me the column fills a need.

A typical letter came from a reader earlier this summer, "I have been reading the Abilene Reporter-News for over 50 years, but I have never enjoyed any of it as much as Moments of Grace. Please keep up the good work. Moments of Grace is an inspiration to all who read it."

Actually, I'm not the one keeping up the good work. It's people like Melvin Mathis of Winters, who wrote this week's "Moments."

In a cover letter Mr. Mathis apologized for sending in two at a time after his first one was published a few weeks ago.

"I hesitate to submit so many, but it seems that many persons might not be able to come up with a good idea, when actually they have in their possession some wonderful ones!"

Mr. Mathis very humbly said he would understand if I didn't use his new contributions.

"I would not want either of these used if it prevented another person from having self-expression," he wrote.

I will not only print Mr. Mathis' submissions, but I will also give thanks for his serving as a moment of grace in my life. His articles are insightful and his attitude is an inspiration.

I am currently reading a book titled Maurice and Therese: The Story of a Love by Patrick Ahern.

It is a collection of the letters written between St. Therese of Lisieux and a struggling young priest named Maurice. In the introduction, Ahern, a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church, says that Therese, who died at age 24 in 1897, did not live a life of high adventure.

In 1997 Pope John Paul II named her a Doctor of the Church, making her the third woman in history to receive that prestigious title. Ahern tells us Therese received that honor out of her "common little life."

That is the genius of Therese's message, Ahern wrote. She teaches us to become holy in the framework of our own lives however ordinary they may seem to be.

"God is in the center of every person's present moment," Ahern wrote. "Therefore, no human being is ordinary."

Few will be named a Doctor of the Church, but all can experience God in the present moment and be moved enough to want to tell others. I've chosen to call those "Moments of Grace." Won't you share yours with us?

Send submissions to Loretta Fulton, Box 30, Abilene, TX 79604; fax to (915) 670-5242; or e-mail to fultonl@abinews.com