What is your path to holiness?

[SusanL]

I believe that a common goal amongst all of us to get to heaven when we die. It’s the journey to there that is so hard. My question is: how do you personally work on your holiness? I know some of the obvious: prayer, being nicer to those around us. What do you work on?

 

[SusanL]

Hi. I think that maybe I should explain what I mean a little better. I find it very difficult to be holy. I’m not even sure what that means. I want to find my way to heaven. What are you all doing to get there? How do people like Maria Esperanza and Saint Padre Pio achieve their level of saintliness? How do you find God? Also, what did Mother Teresa mean when she said to look for Jesus in every face? I really want to know. Thank you for your response.

 

[Grayton]

I am interested in what various members will say in response. It could generate a lot of good ideas. Here are a few things I consciously work on at this time:

1. I try to attend Mass at least once during the week apart from the Sunday liturgy.
2. Morning prayer using the Magnificat pamphlet.
3. Guard my thoughts, especially at bedtime. I try to drift off to sleep with some honorable thought, to override any of the anxieties and temptations of the day.
4. Think of something uplifting and interesting to bring up at dinner conversation with my family.
5. I have a long commute and get many opportunities to practice charity to other drivers, like letting them get into my lane in heavy traffic when they need to.

 

[T.A.Stobie_SFO]

I try to love more and more each day. I ask God to help me do this. I work on it. I try to see Christ in everyone I met and with whom I deal.

And by work on it. I mean it. At times, it is difficult to see Christ in others, particularly when they are not behaving like Jesus would. It takes self-discipline, perserverence, focus on the goal, will power, conciously changing by bad ways when I notice them.

I surrender to Jesus every day frequently.
I invite Jesus into me every day frequently.
I ask Jesus to transform me to more like Him every day frequently.

It is constantly striving for the goal for perfection, total union with God.
Live each day for the day. Do not worry about your failing in the past or your hopes for the future. Just be better on this day, every day.

 

[Pax]

Everything is by God’s grace. His love, discipline, and direction are there for us in abundance. I believe that we must reflect on who God is and what He has done for us. When we realize our own insignificance relative to the almighty, we can begin to be more thankful, loving, worshipful, and obedient.

In practical terms, I find it useful to immediately say a prayer of thanksgiving as my first conscious thought upon waking in the morning.

I take great joy in knowing the forgiving nature of the Lord, and offer many prayers of thanks for His mercy. I have recently begun to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, and I frequently ask God to fill me with the Holy Spirit.

When saying the Our Father I add one thought when I come to the words “…thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” I ask God at that moment to conform my heart and will to His.

I also find praying before the Blessed Sacrament at least once a week to be a great help.

.

 

[SusanL]

T.A.Stobie:

At times, it is difficult to see Christ in others, particularly when they are not behaving like Jesus would. It takes self-discipline, perserverence, focus on the goal, will power, conciously changing by bad ways when I notice them.

I think that my mind must be turning to mud lately. What do you mean by seeing Christ in others? I’ve heard Mother Teresa saying that and I’m not sure what she means?

Also, do you ever find that there are times when you understand precisely spiritual matters and then there is a dry period when nothing makes sense? I have been trying so hard to grasp what people are saying on Catholic radio or in the homily or even my close Catholic friends and my mind just turns to mush.

I admire your self-control and your perseverance. I pray to God that I can just get better.

 

[raphaela]

I surrender to Jesus every day frequently.
I invite Jesus into me every day frequently.

But how do you do that??? I’m very skeptical, and i need something tangible to know that it exsists so believing in God is very hard for me. I want to believe but sometimes it seems almost impossible. For instance, today I thought I had missed the bus. So I prayed an Our Father, and asked God to show me if I missed the bus or not. And sure enough, not 2 seconds later, the bus came rolling over the hill. I thanked God for it, but then i started to think, what if it was just coincidence, what if the bus was just late? Things like this make my path very difficult to walk on.

 

[Joanna]

SusanL:

T.A.Stobie:

At times, it is difficult to see Christ in others, particularly when they are not behaving like Jesus would. It takes self-discipline, perserverence, focus on the goal, will power, conciously changing by bad ways when I notice them.

I think that my mind must be turning to mud lately. What do you mean by seeing Christ in others? I’ve heard Mother Teresa saying that and I’m not sure what she means?

I think what Mother Teresa meant by “seeing Christ in others”, was that she would treat them as though they were Jesus. If she picked up someone from the street who others couldn’t bear to look upon, she would minister to them knowing that whatever she did for this person she was doing to Jesus, Himself, because that’s how our Lord received it according to His own words. 'I tell the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25L 40)

 

[SusanL]

raphaela:

But how do you do that??? I’m very skeptical, and i need something tangible to know that it exsists so believing in God is very hard for me. I want to believe but sometimes it seems almost impossible. For instance, today I thought I had missed the bus. So I prayed an Our Father, and asked God to show me if I missed the bus or not. And sure enough, not 2 seconds later, the bus came rolling over the hill. I thanked God for it, but then i started to think, what if it was just coincidence, what if the bus was just late? Things like this make my path very difficult to walk on.

When you’re surrendering to Jesus, it’s an act of faith. A leap of faith. You are saying, “Your will be done, not mine.” It sounds like you want to take that leap and you start to take that leap but then little doubts creep into your head. It is hard, isn’t it? Everybody struggles with doubts at different points of their faith.
I’m not sure that I believe in coincidences. How would you have wanted God to answer your prayer? How could have he convinced you? Isn’t it possible that he is taking you by the hand and, gently, showing you how to trust him? It was ok to question. But tell him your questions. You already believe in a lot of intangibles, don’t you? Love. Gravity. You see their effects and you were taught them so you believe in them. Well, maybe God is showing you the “effects” of him, too.
Concepts are very difficult things to handle, aren't they? That is why people struggle so with religion. I have a feeling that God is teaching you faith and perseverance. I love seeing you write. Please continue. I love seeing you grow. Sue

 

[T.A.Stobie_SFO]

SusanL:

T.A.Stobie:

At times, it is difficult to see Christ in others, particularly when they are not behaving like Jesus would. …

What do you mean by seeing Christ in others? I’ve heard Mother Teresa saying that and I’m not sure what she means?

Joanna answered this one quite well. We are called to see Jesus in everyone and treat them like we would treat Jesus.

SusanL:

Also, do you ever find that there are times when you understand precisely spiritual matters and then there is a dry period when nothing makes sense? I have been trying so hard to grasp what people are saying on Catholic radio or in the homily or even my close Catholic friends and my mind just turns to mush.

At times God will challenge us in our faith and beliefs to lead us into a deeper faith and stronger belief. It is also be Satan tempting us to abandon our faith and beliefs. The key at these times is to surrender your will to God.

Jesus I surrender.
Jesus I love you.
Jesus I trust in you.

 

[Pax]

Dry periods are essential to our spiritual growth…they make us hungry for the things of God.

 

[T.A.Stobie_SFO]

Pax:

Dry periods are essential to our spiritual growth…they make us hungry for the things of God.

So true.

Psalm 63 is so true:

Oh, God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
{it goes on and is well worth reading the whole psalm.}