Grace: the divine milieu As the Catholic Church in Australia celebrates a "Year of Grace" , Benedictine Sister, Magdalen Mather, from Jamberoo Abbey in NSW, reflects on what 'grace' means to her. BY Magdalen Mather OSB* This year at Jamberoo Abbey it has been my task to talk on the theme of grace. Words are such wonderful, amazing, confusing, illuminating and mysterious things. 'Grace' has been such a word for me in the last few months. The dictionary is my first port of call when trying to grasp the meaning of words, especially 'spiritual' words. The origin of 'grace' in English is related to being grateful. I recall that moments of grace in my life are always accompanied by feelings of thankfulness and the experience of having received a gift. The Oxford Dictionary goes on to define grace as "the free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings". I always find theological definitions difficult at first and I am tempted to leave them in the 'too hard basket'. They seem to have little to do with the everyday reality of my life. Experience however, has taught me to persevere. Spending time with them allows their deeper meaning to become clear. This often reveals their very great relevance to my daily life. The first thing that is apparent and affirming of my experience is that grace is free. It is a gift that is given and not earned. I cannot earn