But first what is the Grace that comes from God? God's Grace is simply this: it is the uncreated, unlimited, and unconditional love that comes from God. Now God's Grace is truly transformative, as it has been seen by many of the Holy Saint and Holy Fathers of the Church. I will give a few such examples of how God's Grace has transformed many of the Saints' lives. For example, Saint Augustine of Hippo was once a departed Christian, as he was part of a 'religious' cult, he bore a child out of wedlock, he was essentially living a hedonistic lifestyle, a lifestyle that closely resembled the pagans. He lived a lifestyle like this for a long time, well over a decade of this lifestyle. However during all of this time, his mother, Saint Monica, who definitely loved God and had God's Grace, prayed continuously and persistently over those long years for her son's conversion. After a long time of faithfulness and trust in God, the wonderful day came when Saint Augustine heard the voice of God through a little child to basically pick up the Bible and read the Scriptures, which Saint Augustine did, and through the Scriptures, he received God's Grace, as he immediately gained his faith back, was baptized by Saint Ambrose, and from then on lived a life full of faith in God, as he became a priest, and then a Bishop, and then a great Theologian who is honored as a Doctor of the Church today. The point of the story here is this: The uncreated, unlimited, and unconditional love of God that we know as God's Grace is so powerful that God's Grace transformed Augustine's life from a pagan lifestyle to a life filled with love from God and purpose through the Holy Spirit. 

Another story with different circumstances was Saint Athanasius the Great of Alexandria. He was born into a loving Christian family and was raised up with strong faith and intimate love for God. He received Baptism, Chrismation (Confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church), and the Holy Eucharist all at a young and faithful age. In essence, he received God's Grace when he was very young. So even from the beginning of his life, he has the unlimited, uncreated, and unconditional love of God. However, he faced his biggest test of faith and truth when he was the sole defender of true orthodox doctrine against the mother of all heresies: Arianism, which denies the divinity of Jesus Christ. When the heretic known as Arius was spreading his heresy among the Church, the Council of Nicaea was called, and Saint Athanasius was called to it to defend the orthodox doctrine. This is where we get the Nicene Creed, which we recite in Mass, and the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, affirming our true beliefs in the Christ. The thing is, even after the council was concluded, the heretic Arius still spreaded his heresy among the Church, to the point that the majority of the Church believed in Arius' teaching that denied the divinity of Jesus. Saint Athanasius was the only Bishop in the entire Christian world that held on to the orthodox faith that Jesus is God. This is where God's Grace is visibly seen: Saint Athanasius was the sole defender of the orthodox doctrine, one Bishop against 300+ Bishops. However, because he has the unlimited, uncreated, and unconditional love of God, and so he had immense courage, and from the scriptures explained with magnificence the true and real doctrine that Jesus is God. He never gave up, even though he was kicked out of the Church more than once. He did not give into temptation, despite so much opposition to himself. And because God was with him, and because God gave his Grace to Saint Athanasius, the Church was saved from heresy.

We know clearly from these two stories of great faith that the definition God's Grace is indeed that it is the uncreated (meaning eternal), unlimited, and unconditional Love of God, and from these two stories we have come to know that God's Grace is very powerful, and has the power to transform lives and give life everlasting. From these two stories we have also seen how it works in people's lives: whether it is for strengthening those who are in trials and tests, or it is for bringing people back to faith in God, and so being saved from separation from God. God's Grace is a truly wonderful thing to have and to behold, and it is truly right that we partake in it.

And so now finally it is time to talk about how to receive it to the fullest degree possible. The very first step is to put faith in the Triune God, revealed by the Son Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in that we have come to believe that Jesus' teachings are indeed true, are indeed applicable to life, that Jesus is truly the Son of God, that Jesus truly died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins, was buried, physically rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to rule at the right hand of the Father Almighty. This will start the process of Justification by Faith, in that when we put true and living faith in God, this will lead to receiving God's Grace. We receive God's Grace primarily through life in the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit dwells within the Church. So it is necessary to participate in the Life of the Church, for it is the Body of Christ. Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Holy Chrismation (or Confirmation in the Roman Catholic Church), and all the rest of the Holy sacraments are essential parts of life within the Church, for we receive God's Grace in each and every one of those Holy Sacraments. We also receive God's Grace by putting into practice the teachings of Christ and of the Church, for if we do love Christ, we will keep his commandments. And if we love Christ, he will come and abide in us, as we abide in him. His love and Grace will come to indwell within us when we have faith in him, genuine faith that will lead to all of these things. Active participation in the life of the Church and a life through the Holy Spirit will certainly lead to always having God's Grace, and so thus always having the uncreated, unlimited, and unconditional love of God. If we really do have God's Grace, we will certainly find our lives becoming more aligned with the will of God, aligned with the life of Christ and the Saints, aligned with Jesus' teachings, and our lives truly transformed from lives under sin to lives under God's Love. We will truly feel God's presence and Love, and that is truly what matters.

Yes indeed, life with the Holy Trinity is very possible, and life in the Holy Spirit is very possible as well. All what we need is God's Grace, which transforms sinners into saints. It is all possible through Christ, who loves us and strengthens us. We will have the truth, and the truth will set us free. 

Have a blessed day my brothers and sisters in Christ, and hold fast to the teachings of the Apostles, the Saints, the Holy Spirit, the Church, and of course Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.