Why aren’t we holy? God, in fact, wills that we become holy: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). So why aren’t we? The problem surely does not lie with him. And that leaves only one other answer: we are the problem.
God has given us everything we need to be holy: his forgiveness, righteousness, grace and even his divine life. Through our baptism, we have begun a construction project, but we can’t complete it on our own. God must bestow his grace on us because he calls us to a supernatural life beyond the natural capacities of humanity. But after he gives us what we need, we have to begin the hard labor of building.
Perhaps this is why Jesus himself was a craftsman, modeling for us the work we must undertake to build the temple of God with our lives.
We’re often stuck, stagnant even. It’s as if we have opened an IKEA box and remain looking at the pieces for the rest of our lives. We might say, “God, why aren’t you doing the work of making me holy?” But St. Augustine would reply, “God created us without us, but he did not will to save us without us” (see the Catechism §1847). We must cooperate freely, using our free will to seek God in love, spend time with him in prayer and order our interior life through the life of the virtues.
The Second Vatican Council opened up a great project of evangelization directed toward the modern world. In our secular time, Catholics too often conceived of the Church in institutional terms as “them.”They will do it. The clergy and religious–they will run the schools, teach the faith to our children and spend the time in the chapel praying for us. That’s what they do. The laity–we go to Church on Sunday and try to avoid mortal sin–pray, pay and obey, as they used to say–enabling the institutional Church to fulfill its mission in the world. The Council sought to draw forth the laity to embrace their mission of sanctifying the world from within through their work and prayer.
This new project of evangelization fell flat, at least for now, leading instead to a period of disorientation and decline. Let’s take one prominent example pertinent to our topic: the universal call to holiness. The fifth chapter of the Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, is titled “On the Universal Call to Holiness in the Church.” The title is uncontroversial. As we have established, God wills our sanctification. He does not intend for any dud Christians whose interior life fails to sprout and bear fruit. He has given us the gift of faith to grow, mature and act as leaven in the world. This is his plan for our holiness and that of the world.
The entire chapter is worth reading, but it concludes powerfully:
Therefore, all the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state. Indeed, they have an obligation to so strive. Let all then have care that they guide aright their own deepest sentiments of soul. Let neither the use of the things of this world nor attachment to riches, which is against the spirit of evangelical poverty, hinder them in their quest for perfect love. Let them heed the admonition of the Apostle to those who use this world; let them not come to terms with this world; for this world, as we see it, is passing away. (§42)
The vision of Vatican II, calling all the faithful of the Church to a greater life of holiness and devotion, has not yet been realized. Too many interpret this call as a dumbing down of God’s expectations or a lowering of the bar.
Following the Council, it became the norm to excuse sin and laxity, and even to accommodate it. Rather, the call to holiness should serve as our rallying cry to break us out of complacency. All the baptized are members of Christ’s Body, the Church, and bear the responsibility of entering into the mission of the head in our own way. The lay faithful are called to grow in love, breaking out of bad habits and especially any sinful practices in order to live the Christian life boldly.
What are the necessary ingredients of holiness? Even within the short quote from Lumen Gentium above, we see that it entails conversion, turning away from the world and toward God’s perfect love. We must strive for it, understanding that this conversion must grow so that our whole life is given over to God unhindered by earthly attachments. We could say, following St. Francis de Sales, that holiness requires the faithful to pursue a life of devotion:
And forasmuch as devotion consists in a high degree of real love, it not only makes us ready, active and diligent in following all God’s commands, but it also excites us to be ready and loving in performing as many good works as possible, even such as are not enjoined upon us, but are only matters of counsel or inspiration. (Introduction to the Devout Life, part 1, chapter 1)
Dumbing things down impedes the will of God for our sanctification, putting up an obstacle to genuine holiness. St. Paul explains what this sanctification willed by God entails: “that you abstain from immorality;that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,not in the passion of lust like heathen who do not know God” (1 Thes 4:3-5).
To be holy, we must be challenged to convert and believe the Gospel ever more fully. The Council’s call to holiness and evangelization requires deep and genuine conversion from sin into a life impelled by grace. Living like modern pagans will not suffice, as the increased misery of our society only proves.
If we’re the problem, then let’s attack it, dying to ourselves and living for Christ. Let’s take up our cross and follow in the footsteps of the master with great devotion, cooperating fully with God’s will for our holiness.
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What an outstanding article!
Sadly, even in “good” parishes, where some degree of the True Faith is manifested through a decently offered Mass, you hear nothing challenging, ever, only the never-ending theme of “the Love of God.”
True, obviously, but never a challenging word about our obligations towards Him! Starting with The Mass. Outward manifestations make it obvious that, even among weekly Mass-goers, at “good” parishes, there are many who are “going through the motions,” with zero challenge from their pastors over such obvious things as appropriate dress (for women as well as men), casualness towards Our Lord in Holy Communion, a huge cacophony of young children and babies during the homily, etc.
“Never is heard a discouraging word” is the rule today. Don’t offend. Be a Nice Guy.
At the Dominican parish in Louisville, KY, they would not even dare to mention Trump’s name – after attempted murder. Cowardice is the rule of our “spiritual fathers” and “shepherds” today. And they are probably blind to it.
Thank you, Sir, for your wonderful article. May Our Lady touch the hearts of many, and begin to grow the fruits you spoke of so well.
The hearts of clerics can be especially hardened, blinded…perhaps that might be the reason why (Saint) Fulton J Sheen said that the laity will save the Church.
I don’t see why you would expect Trump to be mentioned in that parish. I don’t expect my priests to comment on current events.
Really?? If Trump had died the nation could possibly have faced the terrible prospect of being tipped into Civil War. In addition, this was a flat out assault on our democratic system, an extreme threat to our future. Third but not least, one innocent man was killed and two others gravely injured just for being at a perfectly ordinary political rally.That in itself is an extremely serious matter for the future of our country.
“Current events” is a foreign leader coming to visit or comment on political issues such as illegal immigration. Thats hardly the same as the gravity of the shooting of a former US President.
I pointed out my concern about the lack of mention regarding the shooting incident in the sacristy as I reviewed the petitions I was to read as lector that Sunday at Mass. I personally DID feel it was lacking not to mention it. The priest said he would add a petition during the Mass as I finished reading, and did so. He prayed for peace in the country and for those who were injured in the incident. To simply pray as we do each week for the sick and the poor and fail to mention those killed in mass shootings, hurricanes, etc, is to fail in our duty to pray for those who need it . It takes us out of the reality of the nitty gritty of life and makes our faith weak and limp and robs it of REAL concern for those who need our prayers. If we cannot mention an obvious violent tragedy and ask God to help those injured and take us off this trajectory, what are we supposed to be praying for that would be more important? Or is prayer nothing more than blathering about the same requests over and over again every Sunday?
LJ,
Respectfully, I think worries about civil war and civil unrest aren’t something we should be expecting from conservatives or the majority of Trump voters. That just plays into the Democrats talking points about January 6th and “insurrection “.
The violence and unrest we’ve seen has been largely from the Left. And it’s continuing on today.
I totally agree that the violence we see almost daily ( like shooting up congressional baseball teams) ALWAYS comes from the left. Which reality you’ll never read about in the media. But every political persuasion has it’s share of nut jobs, unfortunately. I am concerned that one could be triggered with an incident like this. That the leftist media keeps attempting to paint Trump as a “threat to democracy” (shown to be clearly untrue during his 4 years in office) is unhelpful in the extreme in this regard.And right out of the box you have Harris calling Trump a felon during her campaign speeches –never mentioning he has been the victim of clearly twisted lawfare conducted by their side. I am old, and have never in my lifetime seen so much inflammatory hate coming from the left and masquerading as virtue. In my opinion it is both disgusting and dangerous.It is a reality that one small match can burn a million acres.I am not hopeful that the left will wake up to the damage they are doing to the country until it is too late.
Love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and you’ll be there…
The failure of our first parents, the failure of most of ancient Israel, the failure of most of the Jews in the time of Jesus, and the failure of most Christians today, is in precisely NOT doing that first and greatest commandment, which following leads directly to following the second greatest commandment, and those two encompass all of the commandments.
The answer is simple, and yet glossed over by so many, “Well, he didn’t mean that LITERALLY, of course…I go to mass, I make my donations, I try to be good,” forgetting even pagans can do that, and often better than “Christians”.
Holiness also seems a mystery, (though it probably isn’t when seen through a lens of ‘simple’.) If a human can improve itself, how does it then need God or grace?
The mystery is about power. Is there a real human power? a kind of human ‘grace’? Or is it all and only Divine Power the exists and presides and directs in the creature?
Jesus said: “You can do nothing without Me.”
If Therese of Lisieux is elevated as Doctor for preaching littleness, literal human powerlessness so that the Divine Power is made perfect in the littleness and nothingness of the creature, where would the ability to self-sanctify come from? St Faustina Kowalska famously remarked that she was only capable of wasting God’s grace! If these are giant tiny little children talking, what are we?!
The Book of Heaven makes the vast case that Heaven does not need human initiative, human improvement or human power, which have no currency or value in Heaven; but wants submission to Its power, the Only Power that has currency, royalty, worth, completeness, eternal life.
The mystery is cooperation. The human yes to the Divine Will IS the Divinity’s Will and therefore it’s also a Divine Act (to cooperate). Holiness is the continuous yes to ‘the creature doesn’t possess power, Grace does’. The yes comes from grace. It has to, otherwise human power would creep in, tainting everything with its claim of self-improvement: vanity, ego, self-glory, non-contigency, and the rest.
Mary is The Teacher, followed by Luisa; who both bear out that as human power yields totally to the Divine Will, comes the biggest surprise of all, the gift of possessing the Divine Will, the same thing as a human will saturated in only what the Divine wants and eternally lives!
We should be talking about the power of yes, and where the power of yes comes from, the theology of ‘yes’. Everything holy rides on human submission to that one word.
You are correct…nobody can love God minus utter dependence upon God to supply what we lack…to become as little children in trusting returned love. The Christ was made manifest to show this love of, and for, God, a human face to God’s love, a human face to that returned love, that we might see and believe. God always loves us first, and loved us and everything else into existence. Following the first and greatest commandment is anything but heretical. Even the sacraments, Church etc are all only aids whose aim is love of God more than anything or anybody.
Thank you for this article.
Since 1928, Saint Josemaría Escrivá, taught us that ordinary life can be holy.
The divine paths of the world have been opened up.
“For the daily life we live, apparently so ordinary, can be a path to sanctity: it is not necessary to abandon one’s place in the world in order to search for God… because all the paths of the earth can be the occasion for an encounter with Christ.
God is calling you to serve him in and from the ordinary….
Understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations, and it is up to each one of you to discover it.
There is no other way. Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else we shall never find Him.
Sanctity isn’t something for a privileged few.
God calls all of us to be holy, to love Him. Everyone, no matter where they are, no matter what their state, profession or job.
Our ordinary everyday life, devoid of human glamour, can be a path to holiness”.
Saint Josemaria Escrivá
Why doesn’t someone tell us what holiness is?
What does it mean to say “only God is Holy”?
If holiness is supposed to mean “separated apart” for some service, how does this apply to “Holy” God? It’s no use telling us to be holy, or how to get there (through conversion) without telling us what exactly holiness is.
Great questions. Holiness is hard to define, precisely because it is such an essential characteristic of God. I discuss that in my recent essay “The Mystery and Paradox of Holiness”. You might also want to see this CWR interview with Scott Hahn, talking about his book Holy Is His Name.
Only God is holy, and we come as close as we can in this life to holiness by uniting ourselves in love to God, where we lose ourselves and reflect God…the more pure that love, the closer to holiness, and the less of greedy self trying to wreck everything. We never come to absolutely perfect union in this life, but some come closer than others, for sure…
So refreshing to see a truly spiritual topic on a Catholic website…kudos to author and editor.
Interestingly, when I look at pre-VII catechisms, there is always a strong emphasis on prayer, avoiding even venial sin, and on performing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. This notion that VII somehow “rediscovered” a universal call to holiness must lie more in a popular mindset than on any defect in what the Church’s official teaching was all along.
Perusing comments I’m intrigued by the question asked by Bindiana, What is Holiness’? Editor Olson responded referencing his article, which I had read and other resources.
Revelation 15:4, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy”. Although Christ adds, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Because God’s essence is love, his infinite being is identical. He is love. Love in God is perfect holiness, perfect good. We reach perfection in holiness to the degree of our capacity. That perfect Holiness is arrived at to the extent we become like God in this life. Or in Purgatory which cleanses us of imperfection. What is imperfect in us now are those desires that do not reflect God’s goodness [holiness].
Some saints attain that perfect holiness within the limit of their capacity, some more some less. One, the Blessed Virgin, attained perfection in holiness to the fullest possible limit. So to reach our end in holiness is to become holy as God is holy, since both you and God are perfectly holy in accord with your’s and his capacity. For God there is no limit to his capacity.
A further description on what holiness is specifically, that is, holiness in actual practice we speak of the virtues. To begin, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Charity foremost. Followed by the cardinal virtues, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance. Justice is the foremost of these, since Justice, commonly described as giving another his due, is in its essence love of the other. Justice consequently includes all the virtues and has no mean [median], which is to say something is just or it is not. These major virtues are followed by others, patience [another word for love], magnanimity and so forth.
Thank you – for drawing attention to a topic that ought to be of much interest .
God called everything He created as ‘good’ – ? thus , a cow that exists in what cows are meant for being sort of ? holy 🙂 – reflecting the goodness in creation , yet when they get worshiiped as ‘holy’/ as source of holiness which God alone IS , same
becomes an occasion for unholiness for those who do so !
Holiness of seventh day- as invitation to ‘rest ‘ in The Lord , taking in His holiness in awe and adoration to reflect His goodness ever more deeply …
It had to become an Eight Day – after The Fall, which entailed recreating man so that He can become worthy of being in the Presence of an all holy God ..doing / living in His holy Divine Will …Such a concept of holiness – an unborn , living in His Divine Will and whose soul might be capable of mysterious connections to The Lord and His Mother in spite of the enemy claims which get removed at baptism …holiness of persons in other faiths too , as much as we Christians are asked by The Lord to ‘bring all ‘ again and again unto Him ( Novena – Divine Mercy ) – that both sides can rejoice in His holiness ever more …in that Light , the mystery of a figure whose name is uttered with reverence -with the invocation ‘peace be upon him ‘ -in spite of the failures / errors –
? is there a lesson in there in Lord allowing same – not to magnify errors for endless years , even when there is wisdom in giving such persons quiet time to return to ‘rest ‘ in His holiness and to try to bring those they hurt unto while taking efforts in mercy to share the truth of the errors in charity – all of which is being done by The Church -https://www.usccb.org/committees/ecumenical-interreligious-affairs/vatican-council-and-papal-statements-islam
The virtue of hope – transformed as seeing all joining in the heavenly choir -singing ‘holy …holy ‘ – good means in families to convey the blessing of holiness unto each other to heal memories , to get over silence of wounded poutiness and allow the ‘rivers ‘ of holy Love pouring in as holiness , as in the fmly of Bl.Mother whose parents we honor today . Blessings !
The call to holiness is universal because it is not bestowed to us in the usual ways that we think. Its main ingredients are the fruit of the Spirit which come from walking in the Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:16-25). Grace is infused into us by humility toward God which precedes all of the things that we usually view as prerequisites to holiness (cf. 1Peter 5:5-7; Philippians 4:6-7; James 4:5-10). When the Church begins to teach the basics of holiness, then the confusion may lessen. As of now, there are too many ways that are proposed for arriving at holiness. The simplicity of the instruction on holiness in Scripture needs to be revisited. It’s the only valid way. God is not the author of confusion.
Vatican II tells us: Therefore, all the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state. Holiness and perfection are for the individual, and not for the individual’s state in life. When they are for the individual, they can be truly universal because the state in life does not govern how perfected a person can be. There is no reason why a layperson cannot exceed the holiness and perfection of a pope.