On Holiness

As is sung by Danielle Rose- "Holiness is Faithfulness"...

The holiness we all want, as children of the John Paul II generation is holiness in its simplest form. For surely true holiness is essentially this: the aroma that emanates from a simple heart. This holiness is without the trappings and the complexities that plague all other areas of our society. It is paradoxical in that it is simple to live out once gained but so difficult to attain by human effort. By this very fact, we establish its supernatural nature…this holiness seems to find those who befriend silence regardless of their state of life. The activist can find it just as surely as can the contemplative.

This true holiness is a divine science that is unitive (brings together opposites: the introvert and extrovert, the academic and the blue-collar worker). It is without principle but richly layered and unmistakeable in its manifestations. Those who ‘emit’ this fragrance are mostly unaware or are indifferent to this emission because this holiness-in all its sweetness- is merely secondary. The only thing that matters to the truly holy is communion with the Beloved. Anything else that flows forth as a fruit of this union is considered superfluous to the enamoured.

The devotion of the saints is unique in that it is completely object-centred. Devotion springs forth from love in the way a mother fusses over her child. Love underlies all of her efforts and even the most eccentric movements of a mother’s heart towards her child are out of a selfless, all-consuming love. So it is with genuine love of God. That which appears to be excessive to the world to the heart of the besotted, is necessary. A devoted, fervent soul will stop at nothing to make its love known.

Yet, the pursuit continues far beyond sanctity. One has never reached a state that is ‘good enough’…(read St. John of the Cross, The Spiritual Canticle)…
What is it then to be called to be holy? The Lord Jesus meets us on the road. His hope is that we find and recognize Him on the road because otherwise we will most certainly exert ourselves far beyond what is necessary to know Him. When a holy person approaches the Lord Jesus in prayer it is gentle and simple. Kneeling on the outside and on the inside, the holy soul waits in adoration. Since these souls are friends of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit Himself takes pains to lift the very soul to God and the humble soul is thus reminded again of her smallness.

God bestows this gem of holiness on those who allow themselves to be found; on those who drop their defences and begin to loosen their fearful grip on time and ‘their lives’. Characteristic of this holiness is the disappearance of all anxiety regarding the passing of one’s life and having ‘nothing to show for it’. The best imaginable moment is one of perfectly simple receptivity. This can’t be taught but it must be learned.

Look at these lives:
Brother Andre Bessette
Mother Teresa of Calcutta
St Gemma Galgani

Not only do they know that God IS, they know that God is NEAR. That God is here in this moment in a more real way than we are here in this moment. It is only because He is here, in this moment that we ARE.