Claim the Holiness We Were Made For

Introduction: We Are Made for More

In life, we often settle for what is comfortable rather than what we are truly capable of. Many people accept a mediocre state of cognitive ability, operate their bodies below their optimal potential, and may never achieve the career success within their reach. Unfortunately, we may approach our relationship with God in a similar fashion—a mindset of "good enough."

In this article, we will explore why we should "go for the gold" when it comes to holiness and provide practical steps for growing spiritually.

We Are Called to Holiness

For a long time, many people believed that holiness was reserved for priests, monks, religious men and women, and Christian pastors. It makes sense—they have devoted their entire lives to serving God. Monks, for example, live in monasteries, spending their days in prayer and work. Naturally, one might assume they are more inclined to grow in holiness. But what about laypeople?

The common expectation for lay Christians has often been to do the best we can: attend Mass, avoid serious sin, pray, study the Bible, and be a good member of society. While these are good practices, they can lead to a lukewarm faith. And God does not call us to be lukewarm: "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16) (Intense!).

What Does Scripture Say About Holiness? God has specific and direct expectations regarding holiness:

• "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Leviticus 19:2).
• "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).
• St. Luke clarifies what Jesus meant by perfection: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36).

God has revealed through Scripture and Tradition that we are meant to become holy. He does not want us to remain lukewarm but to fully embrace the call to holiness. The Second Vatican Council made this abundantly clear:

"It is therefore quite clear that all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity" (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Yes, we are called to the fullness of Christian life, cooperating with God's grace in our spiritual growth and surrendering to the Holy Spirit as he conforms our hearts to the heart of Jesus. And the heart of Jesus is the perfection of charity—the ultimate love.

This has always been our destiny: "He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love" (Ephesians 1:4).

We are called to holiness in every walk of life—whether single or married, a doctor or a teacher, an electrician or an accountant. Holiness is not reserved for clergy and religious; it is for everyone. We need to aim for what God intended for us, surrender to God in trust, and collaborate with his grace.

What is Holiness?

Holiness and grace go hand in hand. The goal of spiritual growth is transformation in Christ—to be conformed to him in our thoughts, words, and deeds. This means growing in intimacy with God, living a virtuous life, and selflessly giving ourselves to others.

Holiness is ultimately about allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us so completely that our will becomes one with God's. When this happens, we can love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others as Jesus loved us.

Saints and theologians have provided wonderful insights into holiness:

• St. Thérèse of Lisieux: "Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will and being just what God wants us to be."
• Pope Benedict XVI: "Holiness does not mean never making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with the capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and especially with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness."

Why Do We Settle for Less and Not Grow in Holiness?

1. A Misguided Sense of Humility

• Many people hesitate to aim for holiness because they think it is prideful. However, holiness is not about personal greatness; it is about thirsting for Christ, surrendering to Him, and cooperating with his grace. This is probably the main reason why I have not directly aimed for the gold. In the article "Renew Your Spirit: 7 Proven Tips for Achieving Your New Year's Resolutions" I talked about how our family has been doing annual intentions for many years. Depending on the year I may have things like “Pray the Rosary every morning”, “Study scripture more consistently” or “Practice the daily examen every night.” Those are all excellent intentions but are simply means to an end. Why did I not say, “Grow in holiness” or “Grow in sainthood”? That is what God asked of us in Scripture. Perhaps it is because of a misguided sense of humbleness. After all, it is not about me, it’s about thirsting for Christ’s love, surrendering, trusting, and cooperating with God’s graces. I did write “Grow in holiness” as one of my intentions this year.
• Perhaps we should all set the goal to "grow in holiness" or "strive for sainthood" every year.

1. Fear of Failure

• Holiness seems like an intimidating goal, and we often resist surrendering control to the Holy Spirit. We prefer to stay in command. The more we read about the life of saints, the more we see how many of these holy people lived lives of sin before being moved by God’s grace. And even to their time of death, they struggled against temptations like all of us. It’s OK. Olympic gold winners experienced many failures along the way, but they persevered.

1. The Illusion of Worldly Success

• Society constantly tells us that real triumph comes from wealth, power, success, and physical beauty. These distractions can cloud our vision of the ultimate triumph—union with God. Even well intended friends and family members may confuse us. Now, wealth, success, and power may come along as we are doing God’s work, but we need to be detached from them. St Teresa of Calcutta was very famous, and Saint Pope John XXIII was very powerful, yet they lives as saints.
• As C.S. Lewis wrote: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.”

The Three Spiritual Stages of Growing in Holiness

Aiming for holiness in our lives may seem intimidating or daunting, but we must remember that it is a journey, an evolution of our soul. It takes time, Divine time. We also need to remember that Jesus thirsts for our intimate love and will provide the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit that we need to ascend towards the summit. This is a summit we never fully achieve, when we think we are almost there, we will find another path to climb even more and unite with God even closer. However, many saints and experts in Christian spiritual growth have defined three stages of growth. It is very likely that they overlap. As we start achieving the second stage, we may still be experiencing things from the first stage. These are the three stages of growing in holiness:

1. The Purgative Way (Beginners in Holiness)

• Turning from sin and developing good habits of prayer and virtue.
• Requires self-examination, repentance, frequent confession, and detachment from sin.
• Prayer, sacraments, and virtue-building are essential in this stage.

2. The Illuminative Way (Progressing in Holiness)

• A deeper prayer life and greater surrender to God.
• Increased consistency in virtue and detachment from worldly desires.
• Internal battles shift from resisting sin to overcoming pride, ego, and self-reliance.

3. The Unitive Way (Union with God)

• A profound union with God characterized by peace, love, and joy.
• Complete transformation in Christ, leading to interior freedom and humility.
• Silent contemplation, adoration, and total surrender to God become central.

These stages give us a sense of the journey, but we don’t need to worry about them, where we are, and how long before we move to the next stage. Over achievers can relax. We just surrender, trust, pray, live a virtuous and sacramental life, and intensely love God and others. Remember that Jesus is the one thirsting for a perfect union with us. He will give us what we need.

Conclusion: Aim for Sainthood, Not Mediocrity

• Holiness is for everyone—not just for priests and religious but for every baptized Christian.
• "Holiness does not consist in extraordinary things but in doing ordinary things with love and faithfulness" (St. Josemaría Escrivá).
• Challenge: Make holiness your goal this year. Take intentional steps to grow in prayer, virtue, and sacramental life.
• "Do not be afraid to be saints!" (St. John Paul II).

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory" (Romans 8:17-18).

By striving for holiness, we align ourselves with the ultimate purpose for which we were created. Do not settle for less; claim the holiness that God has destined for you!