How exactly do you let God sanctify you?

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I’m sure that this is a question of an immature spirituality; however, our wonderful priest said in an homily that God has given us all the graces necessary for sanctification. All we have to do is let Him do it. I’ve heard this before in other forms. I believe it, I just don’t get it. I’m not seeing any progression in my own holiness.

My state in life is a homemaker with a half a dozen children. Mostly, I’m just treading water as far as life goes–and that is just managing the daily details.

How am I suppose to let God make me holy?
 
God gives; he has given us the graces necessary but do we cooperate? God gives, now it is a matter of us cooperating with his will. Holiness is not magic. The path to holiness is a mixture of the good practice of our freedom and our intention to love God. The greatest of God’s commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and love your neighbour as yourself. What must one do to achieve perfection by way of holiness? We have the grace to renounce ourselves everyday, to not give in to our disordered passions, and we do this by way of sacrifice.We sacrifice for others and for the reason we love God. We participate in his liturgy most particularly in his holy Sacraments of which the most important is the Eucharist, and we strive to be in comunion with God by way of prayer. God love you.
-Alison
 
JMJ Theresa:
My state in life is a homemaker with a half a dozen children. Mostly, I’m just treading water as far as life goes–and that is just managing the daily details.

How am I suppose to let God make me holy?
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you are doing it, mom, that is exactly how, doing your duties, taking care of your kids, taking up your cross each day, trusting in God, handing on the faith to your children, making a home, building the domestic church.
 
JMJ Theresa:
I’m sure that this is a question of an immature spirituality; however, our wonderful priest said in an homily that God has given us all the graces necessary for sanctification. All we have to do is let Him do it. I’ve heard this before in other forms. I believe it, I just don’t get it. I’m not seeing any progression in my own holiness.

My state in life is a homemaker with a half a dozen children. Mostly, I’m just treading water as far as life goes–and that is just managing the daily details.

How am I suppose to let God make me holy?
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Hi Theresa…rather an insightful question. God is continually offering sanctity to us in the present moment or the duties involved in our state in life whatever that state may be. God calls us to this state as His Plan and Method of sanctification. Where our own effort enters into the picture of the duties involved in our state is our attitude to them and as the Will of God for us and to strive to accomplish our duties as God’s direct request of us in each day. Whole books have been written on this subject. I am reading at the moment and for the second time de Caussade’s work “Abandonment to Divine Providence” which deals with the subject overall. It is a quite lengthy work and at times somewhat complex, somewhat!..this Chapter may help you (and what I am quoting is but a small portion of the whole Chapter):

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/decaussade/abandonment.ii_1.i.i.ii.html
“…are remarkably few extraordinary characteristics in the outward events of the life of the most holy Virgin, at least there are none recorded in holy Scripture. Her exterior life is represented as very ordinary and simple. She did and suffered the same things that anyone in a similar state of life might do or suffer. She goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth as her other relatives did. She took shelter in a stable in consequence of her poverty. She returned to Nazareth from whence she had been driven by the persecution of Herod, and lived there with Jesus and Joseph, supporting themselves by the work of their hands. It was in this way that the holy family gained their daily bread. But what a divine nourishment Mary and Joseph received from this daily bread for the strengthening of their faith! It is like a sacrament to sanctify all their moments. What treasures of grace lie concealed in these moments filled, apparently, by the most ordinary events. That which is visible might happen to anyone, but the invisible, discerned by faith, is no less than God operating…”
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There is also St. Therese’s autobiogrpahy I think called “Story of a Soul” which is an extremely simple statement of the duties of one’s state as sanctification concept.
I see someone else has quoted “Introduction to The Devout Life” as a recommended read and I would second that as another deliberately simple rendition of the present moment sanctification concept of holiness altho St. Francis does get quite ‘flowery’ in language at times and reflective of his own times. The Introduction to The Devout Life is written specifically for the lay person living an ordinary everyday type of life and so is an especially good and enlightening read for a lay person.

The prime source of sanctification of all things of course, is Mass, The Sacraments and personal prayer…these are foundational to any sort of specifically Catholic orientated spirituality whatsoever.

There is an online text of Introduction to The Devout Life on:
ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life.i.html

I dont think St. Therese’s autobiography is on line, at leas to my knowledge, but others may be more helpful here.

How do we let God santify us…by accepting joyfully all the duties of the state of life to which He has called us and connected matters basically and more insight than that can sure be gained from reading possible some of the works recommended as a start.

I hope as this thread unwinds, that you will find the discerning you seek with many blessings.

Happy Christmas…Barb
 
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Madia:
Luke 10:25-28 might help. Also, I haven’t it read it yet but “An Introduction to the Devout Life” by St. Francis de Sales might be a good read for you. Any comments on the book would be welcome.

This post might help:
ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?Pgnu=1&Pg=Forum2&recnu=10&number=453269

I also recommend a daily Rosary.
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Hello Madia - and a Happy Christmas to you and yours.

I have read The Introduction to The Devout Life at least twice and probably three times I think. Undoubtedly it was a major assistance to me when I was struggling to make sense of everything in general…on another site we are taking The Introduction by Chapter and discussing it, if you would like to link to that discussion, the threads for each Chapter can be found on:
forums.wordsfree.org/index.php/board,13.0.html

You will need to scroll back through the related Forum to find each Chapter’s Discussion. Each Chapter opens a new thread in the Forum. We are now at Chapter VI and Purification from Mortal Sin.

Other than that and having read with real appreciation The Introduction to The Devout Life written by St. Francis de Sales - I find it an extremely simple explanation as undoubtedly was St. Francis’s idea in writing the work. Also it is specifically for a lay person in that St. Francis has laid out the work as a series of responses to a lay woman about the spirutal life. The only drawback for me personally was and is to some extent that St. Francis does use very ‘flowery’ language at times, which was entirely reflective of his own times and somewhat abandoned nowadays at least in spiritual literary works.
The work opens for what I found anyway as a statement of the ideals of spirituality and what follows is the outline of the road or path to those ideals. Certainly discussing a spiritual work in an internet Forum is a very helpful and enlightening way of insighting a spiritual work - or thus I find for me personally.

Happy reading with many blessings…regards - Barb:)
 
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BarbaraTherese:
I dont think St. Therese’s autobiography is on line, at leas to my knowledge, but others may be more helpful here.
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Can’t resist… here’s Story of a Soul! :tiphat: At least this is one place, it could be online elsewhere. This is just something I found right away. But I agree, it’s a great book!

gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/7/7/16772/16772.txt
 
JMJ Theresa:
I’m sure that this is a question of an immature spirituality; however, our wonderful priest said in an homily that God has given us all the graces necessary for sanctification. All we have to do is let Him do it. I’ve heard this before in other forms. I believe it, I just don’t get it. I’m not seeing any progression in my own holiness.
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We’re all immature 🙂​

About not seeing progression - be grateful for that: as the saying goes,“a watched pot never boils” - and if we tear up our roots in Christ to see we are growing, we shall be unable to grow in Christ. It is completely unimportant that we cannot see any growth - it would be a serious temptation to the sin of pride, if we could see: so it would be appallingly bad for us. Nothing is worse than pride, especially in our own holiness - for of ourselves, we have none. “Our” holiness is that of Christ in us - it is essential to remember this; otherwise we are going to be in danger of boasting about how pious, holy, good, and all the rest of it we are. It’s all rubbish - we are absolutely nothing without Christ: we did not make ourselves out of nothing - God did. And now He is remaking us. This is something we know by faith - not by seeing it. The Kingdom of God comes in the same way - not in a manner we can see. ##
My state in life is a homemaker with a half a dozen children. Mostly, I’m just treading water as far as life goes–and that is just managing the daily details.

How am I suppose to let God make me holy?
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There are thousands of things you can do - such as looking at Him, and away from you. He is attractive, we are not - except in the degree that He makes us so. And the more attractive we are, the less we shall be aware of it: because we won’t be looking at us, but at the One we love.​

Love is the most powerful antidote to our egotism that there is - it makes us look away from us, and to Him. God’s Love is such, that the more Lovable we can see He is, the more Lovable He is found to be. Love of others, especially of that Other Who is God, grows by being exercised, - which means that the more we love God, the less able to see us we will become. Our works are that exercise, done by Christ, in the world, by means of us.

So offer everything in your home to God, all your hopes, fears, joys - everything about you. Keep nothing that you are or have or do from God. There is a saying: “Do nothing that you cannot offer to God”. For the more we look for God in all that concerns us and those with whom we have any dealings, the more it will be possible to find fresh reasons to seek God, and to love God.

There’s a huge & important catch - love means suffering. But that is obvious - the Gospels don’t let us forget it. ##
 
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KatarinaTherese:
Can’t resist… here’s Story of a Soul! :tiphat: At least this is one place, it could be online elsewhere. This is just something I found right away. But I agree, it’s a great book!

gutenberg.org/dirs/1/6/7/7/16772/16772.txt
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Thank you KatarinaTherese…my own copy was given to someone years ago with the intention of replacing same, but never did. Hence an online copy is the alternative.

Happy Christmas…Barb
 
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BarbaraTherese:
Thank you KatarinaTherese…my own copy was given to someone years ago with the intention of replacing same, but never did. Hence an online copy is the alternative.

Happy Christmas…Barb
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You’re welcome… I did a Google, because I’ve actually got my own copy. :love: My confirmation sponsor gave it to me last March. Oh, such a great book!

Err… sorry. I’ll stop hijacking the thread now. :o Merry Christmas!
 
Thanks alot! I am pondering these things in my heart–Mary help me!
 
JMJ Theresa:
Thanks alot! I am pondering these things in my heart–Mary help me!
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Never was it known in any age Blessed Virgin that any one who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession was abandone, inspired with confidence therefore we humbly ask for JMJ Theresa. Amen.

Barb
 
Since we have been speaking a little about St. Therese, it seems like a great idea to mention that her parents had the simple homemaking job of raising four nuns, one of whom is a Saint who is also a Doctor of the Church, a privilege extended to only 33 persons in history.

Think, too, about the role of St. Anne and St. Joachim who raised the Blessed Virgin. What an awesome responsibility we share in raising the domestic Church and transmitting the faith with love and example.

May Jesus grace with His abundant love this season,
Carole
 
By participating in the sacraments frequently. In particular, the eucharist and confession are powerful means of sanctification. Daily prayer through direct petition to our Lord or by asking our Lady and the saints to intercede for us brings down a multitude of graces to avoid sin and attain holiness of life. The Bible enjoins us to submit to the Holy Spirit. The spiritual life is not achieved through willpower alone but by submission to God’s grace and power. We cannot overcome the world, the flesh and the devil through personal resources alone. Only God through His mother’s immaculate heart will triumph over the pomps and temptations of the devil. Finally, through the grace of God, we must subjugate the flesh and its cravings to the higher order of the spirit. This is done through the practice of penance. Through penance, we impose upon ourselves some inconvenience or deny ourselves some legitimate pleasure so that our spirits may dominate the wayward desires of the body. Our Lady of Fatima enjoins us to practice penance for personal sanctificaton as well as bringing down peace upon the world.
 
God is sanctifying us in every moment through the duties of our state in life. As I go about my housework and gardening which are part of the duties of my state, I am fulfilling God’s Will and His Immediate Call to me in my duties…and hence I go about them joyfully. The action of sanctifying one is God’s and this includes in every present moment through the duties of my state in life. My religious duties are inclusive of course of the duties of my state. At times there are trials and difficulties, perhaps I must endure illness…these are things God permits in my life and for my sanctification - hence I endure them with joy in so far as I am able. And when I cannot feel joy, I thank Him nevertheless and hence my will rejoices in His Permissive Will. Then my joy is a purely spiritual joy of the will only.
Every second, every moment is an opportunity to allow God to sanctify me if I will but open my spiritual eyes and know that He is indeed present in every single moment, every second and in order to sanctify me and lead me to holiness…but He will not force this, He waits patiently for me to “see” and respond…and with love and joy.

Barb
 
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