How can grace be efficacious but the will remain free? Simply, the will never decides without a motive, without the attraction of some good which it perceives in the object. Now, although the will may be free in presence of every motive, still, as a matter of fact it takes different resolutions according to the different motives presented to it. In other words, man exercises the will toward that end which it perceives to be the greatest good, and if God were to move us towards himself then he could do so freely by giving us that impression which he foresees will be perceived as the greatest good.
Therefore, man is not the master of his first thoughts; he can exert an influence on the course of his reflections, but he himself cannot determine the objects, the images, and, consequently, the motives which present themselves to his mind. It is God who determines these first perceptions of men, either by the prepared providential action of exterior causes, or interiorly by a Divine illumination given to the soul. Not only does God send those attractive motives which inspire the will with its determinations, but, before choosing between these illuminations of the natural and the supernatural order, God knows the response which the soul, with all freedom, will make to each of them. Thus, in the Divine knowledge, there is for each created will an indefinite series of motives which de facto (but very freely) win the consent to what is good.
I was recently thinking about the Griffin character in Men in Black 3, the last member of the Archanan race. He had the ability to perceive all possible universes within a single moment but did not seem to know exactly which universe he was in; constantly watching it unfold and narrowing down the possible contingencies. God, in his omniscience, knows all of these things, all possible worlds, and I like to think that we are in the best of all worlds, since we are under the sovereignty of God.
Such a world would not contain forgiveness without sin, nor compassion without suffering; the depth of virtue that is possible as a result of the existence of sin is astonishing. It may seem odd to speak of sin as a necessary thread in the tapestry of the best possible world, but life seems trivial without resistance, or any type of adversity.
Given that God could lead us to himself while allowing the will to be free by the prepared providential action of exterior causes, or interiorly by a Divine illumination given to the soul, it should be asked whether or not the possibility exists for all to be led by such in order for them to perceive God as the greatest good? Can a successful "inception" be done to each of us by God? We are not here talking about the ability of God to transcend all things, but whether or not, given all matter, its perception, and the senses, if there are those in which such an "inception" would not be probable. Such that nature itself, in terms of natural causation, poses a limitation. The pathway of one ant is freed from the movement of a small stone, only to drop to a greater depth now blocking another that would have been otherwise free along the path. Which leaves us then to speak of those interior illuminations.
An ongoing reflection for sure...
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