OBVIOUSLY, we have to make a distinction between the state
of
holiness and the process of making oneself holy. I refer more to the
latter, which actually is what is needed for us to be truly holy.
Sanctity and sanctification should go hand in hand, and if we are not
yet in the former, then we should work out the latter.
This matter should already come out in the open, especially in the
media, because it is actually everybody’s concern. In fact, we can say
it is the be-all and end-all of our life. “What does it profit a man
if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul,” Christ’s words
that practically articulate this need of ours.
In fact, insofar as God is concerned, this is his will. St. Paul says
so, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thes 4,3) And
because of that will, God is giving us everything, including he
himself in his Son who became man, Jesus Christ, so that we can truly
obtain sanctity.
Again, St. Paul clearly reassures us of this truth: “He that spared
not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how has he not
also, with him, given us all things.” (Rom 8,32)
This is a truth we have to learn to feel at home with. Very often,
when we think of sanctity and sanctification, we feel that things just
depend on us, and thus, given the enormity of the challenge and the
task, we tend to get discouraged and to forget the whole thing.
We have to overcome that misconception. God is actually giving us
everything. In fact, He is giving us nothing and no one else other
than his very own self in Christ. That’s why there’s such thing as
constant stream of actual graces so we can manage to do good in spite
of our weakness and mistakes.
If we persist in corresponding to these actual graces, then we can be
led to so deep a conversion that we can receive what is known as
sanctifying grace that puts us into the state of holiness.
And after conversion, we still need to continue struggling to keep
that state of sanctity intact. “Conversion is a matter of a moment,” a
saint once said, “but perseverance is a work of a lifetime.”
We need to correspond to these actual graces that God sends us in
abundance. It is these actual graces that enable us to sanctify
ourselves as we go through all the details of our day, usually small
and insignificant humanly speaking.
In this regard, we need to explode the myth that this business of
sanctification can be carried out only during extraordinary occasions,
as when we have to be martyred or sent to far-away missions, working
with difficult people, etc.
Or that sanctification or the state of holiness itself is a matter of
being canonized, placed on an altar if not given a monument in some
public square.
Sanctification can be done and ought to be pursued anytime, anywhere,
making use of what we have at the moment, whether it is something good
or bad. This is what is meant by holiness at your fingertips, attained
by showing our faith and love for God and others in the little things
of each day.
If we persist in this kind of behavior, we can truly achieve a
sanctity more heroic and meaningful than that achieved through pubic
martyrdom. I believe there is more merit in a sanctity that is
attained in a hidden way than that acquired before the public eye.
Everything can be an occasion to be holy. It’s a matter of how we are
corresponding to God’s grace. If we are attacked by laziness, for
example, we become holy when we make the effort to overcome it, when
we start to pick up things to do, or simply just perform our duty of
the moment, whatever it may be.
When we are visited by lust, greed, envy, or any temptation, we
become holy when we do our best to fight them off. When we fall, we
still can easily become holy when we are prompt also to ask for
forgiveness.
Holiness at your fingertips is also a matter of just doing whatever
duty you have at the moment, and doing it with love, with generosity
and magnanimity. It may just be studying, or watching over a sick
person, or doing household chores, but if done with love for God, you
can already achieve holiness. Sainthood is just a death away!
holiness and the process of making oneself holy. I refer more to the
latter, which actually is what is needed for us to be truly holy.
Sanctity and sanctification should go hand in hand, and if we are not
yet in the former, then we should work out the latter.
This matter should already come out in the open, especially in the
media, because it is actually everybody’s concern. In fact, we can say
it is the be-all and end-all of our life. “What does it profit a man
if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul,” Christ’s words
that practically articulate this need of ours.
In fact, insofar as God is concerned, this is his will. St. Paul says
so, “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” (1 Thes 4,3) And
because of that will, God is giving us everything, including he
himself in his Son who became man, Jesus Christ, so that we can truly
obtain sanctity.
Again, St. Paul clearly reassures us of this truth: “He that spared
not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how has he not
also, with him, given us all things.” (Rom 8,32)
This is a truth we have to learn to feel at home with. Very often,
when we think of sanctity and sanctification, we feel that things just
depend on us, and thus, given the enormity of the challenge and the
task, we tend to get discouraged and to forget the whole thing.
We have to overcome that misconception. God is actually giving us
everything. In fact, He is giving us nothing and no one else other
than his very own self in Christ. That’s why there’s such thing as
constant stream of actual graces so we can manage to do good in spite
of our weakness and mistakes.
If we persist in corresponding to these actual graces, then we can be
led to so deep a conversion that we can receive what is known as
sanctifying grace that puts us into the state of holiness.
And after conversion, we still need to continue struggling to keep
that state of sanctity intact. “Conversion is a matter of a moment,” a
saint once said, “but perseverance is a work of a lifetime.”
We need to correspond to these actual graces that God sends us in
abundance. It is these actual graces that enable us to sanctify
ourselves as we go through all the details of our day, usually small
and insignificant humanly speaking.
In this regard, we need to explode the myth that this business of
sanctification can be carried out only during extraordinary occasions,
as when we have to be martyred or sent to far-away missions, working
with difficult people, etc.
Or that sanctification or the state of holiness itself is a matter of
being canonized, placed on an altar if not given a monument in some
public square.
Sanctification can be done and ought to be pursued anytime, anywhere,
making use of what we have at the moment, whether it is something good
or bad. This is what is meant by holiness at your fingertips, attained
by showing our faith and love for God and others in the little things
of each day.
If we persist in this kind of behavior, we can truly achieve a
sanctity more heroic and meaningful than that achieved through pubic
martyrdom. I believe there is more merit in a sanctity that is
attained in a hidden way than that acquired before the public eye.
Everything can be an occasion to be holy. It’s a matter of how we are
corresponding to God’s grace. If we are attacked by laziness, for
example, we become holy when we make the effort to overcome it, when
we start to pick up things to do, or simply just perform our duty of
the moment, whatever it may be.
When we are visited by lust, greed, envy, or any temptation, we
become holy when we do our best to fight them off. When we fall, we
still can easily become holy when we are prompt also to ask for
forgiveness.
Holiness at your fingertips is also a matter of just doing whatever
duty you have at the moment, and doing it with love, with generosity
and magnanimity. It may just be studying, or watching over a sick
person, or doing household chores, but if done with love for God, you
can already achieve holiness. Sainthood is just a death away!
No comments:
Post a Comment