What Does Holiness Look Like?

This exercise will help you find out.

When we try to think of ourselves as holy, often our first reaction is to exclaim, “Not me!” That may be because we tend to think of holiness as something reserved for great saints and heroes, and we know we aren’t in that category! However, the truth is that by the fact of our baptism we are all called to holiness.

So, what does holiness look like? It’s often helpful to think about holy people who are living very ordinary lives. When we do, we realize that it’s not the greatness of what we do that matters but the love with which we do it.

When Jane and her husband, Tom, moved into a new apartment building, they met their elderly next-door neighbor Rose, who welcomed them to the building and invited them over for a glass of wine. As they sat and talked, she told them about her life.

She was a widow who was struggling with some health issues, but she was still involved in her parish and went to daily Mass. Her ministry was to reach out to shut-ins in the parish by sending them cards and notes and by calling them on the phone. She seemed…

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