I suck at being holy.

The Scriptures call the faithful to holiness:

Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”

And

Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

And

He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began...

And the Catechism is right clear as well:

2013 "All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity."⁶⁵ All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."⁶⁶ 

In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints.⁶⁷

2014 Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him, in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift given to all.

2015 The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle.

I can attest to the battle aspect of pursuing holiness.  I say that because frankly and bluntly, I suck at being holy.  Seriously.

When I think of holy men and women, I think of those who are gentle, meek, humble, kind, quiet and sweet.   I am rarely any one of those things at any one time, much less all of them at once.  In fact, I think it not to be a stretch to say that I'm the opposite of those things daily.

Yet, I want to be holy.  I do.  I'd love to one day, when I'm dead and gone, have someone remember me as a holy person.  That would be significant.  That would be incredible.  That would be miraculous.

I say all this because yesterday, I came across what follows:

“Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness… Consequently, it is not the fact that we have never erred but our capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness which makes us saints. And we can all learn this way of holiness”

~Pope Benedict XVI

I have a huge capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness.  I'm constantly willing to kiss and make up... or at least hug and do so.

I'm willing to bet many of us do who are striving to be faithful.

Pope Benedict's words are a game changer in many respects.  He's suggesting that we who are earthy, we who are chief among sinners, we who offend frequently and fall way too often, we have a chance to not only be holy but... to be saintly.

That's pretty cool, pretty hopeful, pretty awesome.

There's a chance I could still become a saint.

Just maybe.

Thanks be to God.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Related articles

"We have to become honest about this"

Beating the dead horse, necessarily

But what about...

Comments

[Lands’nGrooves]

I know you posted the picture that is on the top of the following Matt Walsh post with a caption of "Jesus wasn't above using a whip" or some such, but I couldn't find it in a search.

Anyways, as far as "When I think of holy men and women, I think of those who are gentle, meek, humble, kind, quiet and sweet" check out the following -

"Personally, I’ve studied the New Testament and found not a single instance of Christ calling for a ‘dialogue’ with evil or seeking the middle ground on an issue. I see an absolutist, unafraid of confrontation. I see a man who did not waver or give credence to the other side. I see someone who never once avoided a dispute by saying that He’ll just ‘agree to disagree.’

I see a Christ who calls the Scribes and Pharisees snakes and vipers. He labels them murderers and blind guides, and ridicules them publicly [Matthew 23:33]. He undermines their authority. He insults them. He castigates them. He’s not very nice to them.

Jesus rebukes and condemns. In Matthew 18, He utilizes morbid and violent imagery, saying that it would be better to drown in the sea with a stone around your neck than to harm a child. Had our modern politicians been around two thousand years ago, I’m sure they’d go on the cable news shows and shake their heads and insist that there’s ‘no place for that kind of language.’

No place for the language of God.

Jesus deliberately did and said things that He knew would upset people. He stirred up division and controversy. He provoked. He didn’t have to break from established customs, but He did. He didn’t have to heal that man’s hand on the Sabbath, knowing how it would disturb others and cause them immense irritation, but He did, and He did so with ‘anger’ [Mark 3:5]. He could have gone with the flow a little bit. He could have chilled out and let bygones be bygones, but He didn’t. He could have been diplomatic, but He wasn’t.

He could have told everyone to relax, but instead He made them uncomfortable. He could have put them at ease, but He chose to put them on edge.

He convinced the mob not to stone the adulterer [John 8], and you’ll notice that He then turned to her and told her to stop sinning. Indeed, never once did He encounter sin and corruption and say: “Hey, do your thang, homies. Just have fun. YOLO!”

The followers of Nice Jesus love to quote the ‘throw the first stone’ verse — and for good reason, it’s a beautiful and compelling story — but you rarely hear mention of the exchange that occurs just a few sentences later, in that very same chapter. In John 8:44, Jesus rebukes unbelieving Jews and calls them ‘sons of the Devil.’

http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/04/07/jesus-didnt-care-about-being-nice-or-tolerant-and-neither-should-you/

tim aka The Godless Heathen

[Rick aka Mr. Brutally Honest]

Tim, I think you were referencing this piece I put up in April of last year.

I think it fits in nicely and serves as a good reminder, to me, that perhaps my understanding of holiness is skewed... wouldn't be the first time I've messed something up.

Glad you're still out there dude!