Lead a holy life

What does it mean to lead a holy life?

Many people find it daunting to think of becoming holy, imagining a very difficult life where they shed every human comfort and walk around either barefoot or in flimsy sandals, even in freezing weather. I once heard a lady say this in church, lamenting that the road to sainthood was too difficult for her. Some think that Our Lord requires us to be very harsh with ourselves to prove our faith and love for him. This is not the case. He requires that we are not greedy and that we share what we have with those of His children who have less than enough. To deny ourselves luxuries does not mean we must live in abject poverty.

Our Lord requires holiness in all His children. How do we achieve that?

The first requirement is complete trust in Our Lord. He has told us clearly in the writings of Saint Faustina that we are to trust in His Divine Mercy and He will overcome all obstacles for us. We must  have complete faith in His Love and Mercy. We must also show proper respect for Our Lady, Saint Joseph and all holy Saints, whose intercession on our behalf is invaluable and is a truly great Gift.  

Obedience to holy Law is essential and we must make Christ central to our lives, attending Mass and Adoration as often as possible, confessing, fasting in penance for sin, and reading the bible every day. We must also pray every day and Our Lord asks that we pray the daily rosary, particularly a family rosary. When we pray, we are to pray for the salvation of all souls and for assistance for those who suffer.

We have the perfect example of holiness in Mother Teresa of Calcutta who spent her life caring for the poor and suffering, irrespective of race or religion. Her complete trust in Our Lord led her to do very great things and no-one can doubt she is a true saint. Watching her work was like watching Christ on earth, always giving, always loving and never turning away anyone who needed help.

How does the life of a nun or any person in holy orders relate to a lay person, perhaps married with six children?  By simply lending a helping hand when we are asked to do so, even for someone we do not know or do not much like, we are following the path of Christ as He wishes. Without this help for others, given freely and with no thought of benefit to ourselves, we are less than we should be. We speak of faith, we have hope, but we do not act with charity.

St. James said [2:20.] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

There is sadly much division in our world and  between different faiths there is often distrust. It is not unusual these days to hear people say they hate or distrust Muslims because of the evil actions of a few. We must remember that everyone on earth is a child of the Most High and treat them with the same love and care we ask Our Lord to give to us and to our friends.

Our Lord said

 [Matthew 5:44]        But I say to you, Love your enemies: 

                              do good to them that  hate you:                           

                              and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.

[Matthew 5:42]   Give to him that asketh of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away.

[ Matthew 12]    47  (Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are

                             standing outside, asking to speak with you.")

                       48   But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who  

                             is my mother? Who are my brothers?"

             49   And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he 

                   said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.

                       50   For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my

                             brother, and sister, and mother."       

There are many examples like these in the holy bible, and they show us clearly that faith alone is not enough.

Ordinary people can and do emulate the saints and become holy, not by what they say but by what they do to assist others both spiritually and physically. Saint Francis of Assisi said ' Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words'. We are all called to be Christlike, His modern day saints on earth, people of strong faith and sound Christian principles who will not bow down to evil in any shape or form, who will not allow themselves to be compromised by the mistaken beliefs of others, standing up for what is right, defending holy church and the right of all people to live in peace and love, with good housing, food and healthcare.

We must therefore treat everyone as our own family, for in Christ we are one family. We have one Father in Heaven who loves us all. Refuse to be part of a divided world for Heaven has no place for second class citizens - rich and poor, sick or well, we are all equal in His Divine sight.

We must not kill nor advocate or support violence, for that is to follow evil.

Blessed are the peacemakers - for they shall be called the children of God   [Matthew 5.9]

[Bible texts from Douay-Rheims bible]