Holiness Here and Now

I would remind you, once again, that "holiness" does not mean doing extraordinary things, but following the will of God every day, living one's own vocation really well, with the help of prayer, of the Word of God, the sacraments and with the daily effort for consistency. ~Pope Benedict XVI, from his address delivered May 8 to the assembly of the Diocesan Pastoral Visit, Basilica of St. Mark, Venice

Great opportunities to serve God rarely present themselves, but little ones are frequent. ~St. Francis De Sales, 1567-1622

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Ave Maria!  Lately our Holy Father has been reminding us that holiness is not about extraordinary things but rather ordinary things.  The stuff of everyday life, though often unglamorous, overflows with small but excellent opportunities to serve God, as St. Francis de Sales reminds us.  "We like sugar better than salt," he notes, "but salt is in more common and frequent use" (Introduction to the Devout Life, Book 3, Chapter 1).  St. Francis wisely encourages us to "try sincerely, humbly, and devoutly to acquire those little  virtues whose conquest our Savior has set forth as the end of our care and labor.  Such are patience, meekness, self-mortification, humility, obedience, poverty, chastity, tenderness toward our neighbors, bearing with their imperfections, diligence, and holy fervor."  This "lower but safer way," he observes, "is better suited to our lack and littleness.  If we conduct ourselves with humility and good faith in this, God will raise us up to heights that are truly great."

As simple as all this sounds, it's really quite an arduous undertaking.  The word "ardor" comes from the Latin "ardere," which means to be on fire, to burn, to shine.  Only the fire of God's love can burn away my ego, which is my greatest enemy and my biggest obstacle to holiness.  Only His love can enflame me with the desire for those little virtues so dear to His heart and can shine through my feeble attempts to practice them.  Only His grace, especially present in His Word and the sacraments, can sustain me in making "the daily effort for consistency." 

Dear Jesus, Holy Lord, thank you for all the little opportunities for holiness that You will give me today.  Help me to make the most of them for the praise of Your glory and the salvation of the whole world.  Amen.