Holiness -- how do we distinguish it to become holy?

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How are we to realise what “Holiness” is and how do we become Holy. I think that it might seem easy to think that we have holidness or are Holy but really how do we really know. The world has it’s meaning but God gives us real meaning??
 
Good question! I know no other way than to humbly ask God for the gift of holiness and to put into practise what The Gospel and The Church proclaim. Prayer and The Mass and Sacraments are central and pivotal to life. I did read somewhere but can no longer recall where that one(not only or all) common denominator of holiness is devotion to Mary.
I tend to think that the more holy you do become, probably the less aware of it you are. The more holy a person becomes, then by definition, the closer to God they are and an entirely absolutely humbling matter - in fact the very word ‘holy’ applied to onself or even another pales into insignificance to say the least.
I think most often ‘the world’ struggles to find meaning that is really meaningful in a lasting sort of way and hence goes from one thing to another searching altho perhaps not aware. God is Meaning.
My take on quick reflection!

Blessings…Peace and Joy - Barb:)
 
BT, I agree with your post, and you put it so much more eloquently than I could. I really don’t think that we are the best judges of our own soul, and I don’t think we can really know how holy or not we are. The best way I can think to describe it is that when we look at our own soul and try to dicern the condition of it, it is like looking in a warped mirror. We see something close to the truth, but some things are seeimingly disporportionate and out of wack, so to speak. I believe that having a well trained spirtitual advisor is our best measurement of holiness- God gives our SDs and confessors a grace to understand our souls better than we ourselves do.
 
We know that God alone is whole , Jesus tells us when He asked the young man why he called Jesus “Good” master. i think that what Jesus was saying was that ALL things on earth are carnal or flesh therefore cannot be in God’s terms “Holy” or “Good”.

Barb, I think that your first words might have a good point
***to humbly ask God for the gift ***of holiness and to put into practise what The Gospel and The Church proclaim. Prayer and The Mass and Sacraments are central and pivotal to life.
But can individuals put into practice without grace or heart of God?, as David had the heart of God. I agree with the bottom part of the Gosple mass and sacraments though.
God bless
littleone
 
I have to agree with this because I could never think of having any love or grace or holiness that Jesus didn’t know about that God has not given me so how could I think about being greater as you say it is disproportionate when compared to Jesus love for the Father.

The best way I can think to describe it is that when we look at our own soul and try to dicern the condition of it, it is like looking in a warped mirror. We see something close to the truth, but some things are seeimingly disporportionate and out of wack I believe that you hit the nail on the head here, MO4.

Thanks
Godbless
littleone
 
Yeah, I agree with LO too, MO4 “hit the nail on the head”. Sometimes I am tempted to a type of despair with myself, and I am sure if I did not know what The Church (informed by Scripture) teaches, then I would despair left to myself. I put great store in Confession, because The Church teaches that with a good confession (St. Gerard Majella is the patron of good confessions) our soul is restored to that state prior to the sin confesssed and as if we had never sinned in the first place. What a great consolation and comfort!!! I believe in that unquestioningly, I just can’t feel it mostly.
A good spiritual director is pure gold! But then if you don’t have one for some reason, The Lord will care for you Himself rather than through the mediation of a spiritual director. St. Teresa of Avila for one assures us of that.
I thank God for calling me to Catholicism and The Mass and Sacraments!

Blessings…Peace…Joy…Barb:)
 
In a book that was about a Saint (I honestly don’t remember which one - a female) I read that as one gets closer to God our own imperfections show up even clearer. I felt somewhat relieved - for the moment - since I saw more imperfections in myself than I did when I was younger. Course, the thing is, if I study myself too much I get more self-absorbed and self-ish. I realize that Saints and holy sages teach that we do need some self-examination (and not what we do only just before confession) in order to increase in holiness - it’s just that I haven’t seemed to find the right balance. Maybe it’s in a more thorough examination of conscience before bed (along with Mass, Scripture, and books of Saints et al).🤷
 
Ahhhh balance! That all too elusive quality! 👍 …

…I have a fair few “maybe’s” too and I think far more “if only’s”. Holiness is a great gift indeed. My theory is that if God would grant me the gift of holiness…it would really show up how great His Grace really is…since it even works on someone like me. I think it was St. Therese, and not the only saint either, who said that to be a saint one needs to truly desire to be one and to ask ardently and hopefully for the gift of sanctity.

Blessings…Barb:)
 
littleone said:
How are we to realise what “Holiness” is and how do we become Holy. I think that it might seem easy to think that we have holidness or are Holy but really how do we really know. The world has it’s meaning but God gives us real meaning??
Click to expand...
This is a biggest subject and one can take a life time on earth and might not achieve it. But holiness is the image of God, to be holy is to be like Him. To become holy, one must love God and love people. With this love, God will pour down all the graces he needs to become holy.
 
“Holiness is to see the naked human body and to see in it the mystery of God.” – Pope John Paul II
 
mommyof4 said:
BT, I agree with your post, and you put it so much more eloquently than I could. I really don’t think that we are the best judges of our own soul, and I don’t think we can really know how holy or not we are. The best way I can think to describe it is that when we look at our own soul and try to dicern the condition of it, it is like looking in a warped mirror. We see something close to the truth, but some things are seeimingly disporportionate and out of wack, so to speak. I believe that having a well trained spirtitual advisor is our best measurement of holiness- God gives our SDs and confessors a grace to understand our souls better than we ourselves do.
Click to expand...
I agree with BT as well. To be holy is the same as being close to God right?
I think that the holier you become the more horrible sinning feels and if you make even the slightest sin you feel very unholy. Basically I agree that you can’t tell for yourself.
 
Yes I believe this to be exactly what happens our eyes are more open because of taking the eyes of self and onto perfection of Jesus.

since I saw more imperfections in myself than I did when I was younger. Course, the thing is, if I study myself too much I get more self-absorbed and self-ish.
Godbless
littleone
 
Many years ago with my first director/confessor, I said to him: “Father, what IS contemplation”…now Father was not a man to mince words and he replied “I’ll tell you this Girl, it is not gazing at your navel!!!”
I went home and thought to myself that, well- he had not told me anything, nor was I any the wiser about this contemplation business. I now knew what it was not, but nothing about what it was!!! Then one day, intent and ‘gazing at my navel’, I started to laugh.😃

Incidentally “gazing at your navel” is a term we Australians used for contemplating ourselves and being self absorbed is termed “a navel gazer”. I hope no one is offended:o , it is quite a common term here. Now and then I become aware I am self absorbed and ‘navel gazing’…
Someone has a signature that runs something like…“I promised you Heaven, I did not say it would be easy”…I rather like that one:thumbsup:

Blessings and Peaceful Joy…Barb:)
 
BarbaraTherese said:
Good question! I know no other way than to humbly ask God for the gift of holiness and to put into practise what The Gospel and The Church proclaim. Prayer and The Mass and Sacraments are central and pivotal to life. I did read somewhere but can no longer recall where that one(not only or all) common denominator of holiness is devotion to Mary.
Click to expand...
Barb, I think this is so good! And then we have to remember that at the end of the day, all we will be able to say is (and I hope my memory of the Bible verse is close!), “I am a worthless servant. I have only done my duty.” Then we will have achieved the humility that is necessary, and besides, it will be true! And since none of us even does our duty perfectly, we will have that much more need of humility, but Our Lord will see the love we have tried to have for Him in our efforts, and we will have many Holy Communions to speak for us, and Our Lady praying for mercy along with the whole communion of saints.

I do love the Catholic Church!
P.S. Mommyof4, great “location”! That’s where I am, too! Gosh, it’s awfully messy when we come out of hiding though, isn’t it? 🙂
 
You’ll achieve the state of holiness when you become the person God had in mind when he created you, rather than the person you think you should be.

To be holy means to be whole and perfect, which is what God had in mind for you.

Jim
 
water said:
This is a biggest subject and one can take a life time on earth and might not achieve it. But holiness is the image of God, to be holy is to be like Him. To become holy, one must love God and love people. With this love, God will pour down all the graces he needs to become holy.
Click to expand...
Yes, here is the response if I may say to God’s giving different amounts of grace, faith, love, blessings to those who He choses to give them to, as Jesus tells us that one person was given 5 tallents another 3 and another 1 and each was called to accounting latter. Each was given more as they showed their ability in faith in God.

individuals cannot put into practice without grace or heart of God?, as David had the heart of God.
God bless
littleone
 
I heard a really cool explanation of what holy means from my confirmation teacher. She said that the root of the word means “set apart” and that in order to be holy, we must be set apart from the world (like the saints were). I think that makes a lot of sense. The way the world lives and the lifestyle of living for Christ are two very different things, and holiness to me is living apart from the world, for God.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
You’ll achieve the state of holiness when you become the person God had in mind when he created you, rather than the person you think you should be.

To be holy means to be whole and perfect, which is what God had in mind for you.

Jim
Click to expand...
Yes agreed and I believe that this is what Jesus ment when He asked the young man why he had called Jesus “good”. When as Jesus tells us that on this earth and of this earth there is nothing good so as to speal for ALL mankind has sinned, nothing of this earth is pure.

Thanks Jim
God bless
littleone
 
momof8 said:
Barb, I think this is so good! And then we have to remember that at the end of the day, all we will be able to say is (and I hope my memory of the Bible verse is close!), “I am a worthless servant. I have only done my duty.” Then we will have achieved the humility that is necessary, and besides, it will be true! And since none of us even does our duty perfectly, we will have that much more need of humility, but Our Lord will see the love we have tried to have for Him in our efforts, and we will have many Holy Communions to speak for us, and Our Lady praying for mercy along with the whole communion of saints.

I do love the Catholic Church!
P.S. Mommyof4, great “location”! That’s where I am, too! Gosh, it’s awfully messy when we come out of hiding though, isn’t it? 🙂
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Hi Momof8 - Eight! Goodness, I bet you are a Catholic:D …I love Her too…to abandoned distraction passionately!

Holiness I dont thank can be defined - it is a gift of God beyond definition. Holiness will mean different things for different people and is gift. I think if we try to define “holiness”, the risk becomes is that I will set up an image of some sort, albeit a good one, that I will try to be. Holiness, I dont think actually “tries” - it simply wells up and “is”.
JimR_OCDS put it very well and conscisely I think. Jim, you put in some great posts and with clarity. Still, you are a Carmelite and I expect and get, I must admit, only the best from them. Congratulations in your lay religious vocation. Well, if we are to get theologically correct…I think the Lay Orders are religious vocations to the laity.😃

I must admit Mof8, I laboured long and often over “you have only done your duty” until suddenly that old penny dropped again! It is now a favourite of mine from Scripture too. I am indeed a worthless servant only ever doing my duty - even if I lay my life down for an enemy. All good - all - the very great and the most minute has its origin in God and is strengthened and protected by Him…hence even the most goodest:D remains in essence, a worthless servant of God. This is not a status it is a duty: Servant of God. Take God out of all that, and it is worthless indeed !!!
 
dove51 said:
I heard a really cool explanation of what holy means from my confirmation teacher. She said that the root of the word means “set apart” and that in order to be holy, we must be set apart from the world (like the saints were). I think that makes a lot of sense. The way the world lives and the lifestyle of living for Christ are two very different things, and holiness to me is living apart from the world, for God.
Click to expand...
:crossrc: :gopray: :amen: :crossrc: :gopray:

We might be “in” this world, but we’re called to be not “of” this world. Can’t do it without unceasing prayer, however – I wish I didn’t suffer from such short-term memory and self-centeredness, so that I can stay connected with God in prayer unceasingly.

We’re striving to be holy when we’re trying to follow His will.
 
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