A Sunday Thought About the Secret of Sanctity

Our weekday posts have been offering a regimen to bolster us in the event some sort of financial and/or economic storm hits us in the fall. A great help would be if we could use our Sundays to strengthen our spiritual life. A soul that's grounded in God, that can connect with Him easily, will provide substantial support when things go awry.

Now you can't really build your spiritual life without some understanding of "sanctity." And sanctity refers to a state of being holy or saintly. But before you dismiss the idea of being holy or saintly, let's remember that real Catholic spirituality means just that. It's not some mystical trance we're looking for when we want to build our spiritual life. It's trying to get our thinking, our speaking, and our actions in line with those of Our Lord. That's what real saints do. And there's no point trying to build a spiritual life unless its goal is, well, to be a saint.

Of course, it's not like flipping a switch. For many if not most of us, it's the work of a lifetime. And even then, we may not quite reach the goal of sainthood before we die. 

Not to worry, though. Our Heavenly Father, merciful and loving as He is, created Purgatory for those of us who fall short. If we haven't managed to achieve complete sanctity when Sister Death (as St. Francis of Assisi might say) comes a-callin', well, Purgatory will finish the job.

Meanwhile, instead of aiming low, let's aim high - right at the heart of sanctity. Let's try to become saints.

OK?

And lest we wonder exactly how to go about doing this, rather than wonder, how about we ask the Holy Spirit for some guidance here? He'll know just what we need to do on any given day to advance our cause. With that in mind, consider a daily habit of spending five minutes with the Holy Spirit to give Him the opportunity to penetrate our thick skulls, hard hearts, and troubled souls with some holy inspiration. 

Not that we'll receive a text, or hear a voice, to somehow "know" just what to do. But we'll never get past first base unless we ask for help and give ourselves some time to listen to whatever advice the Holy Spirit might give us.

With that in mind, here's one way to develop a solid habit of communicating with the Holy Spirit that any of us can manage:

“During one of his retreat conferences Cardinal Mercier offered to his hearers the following secret of sanctity: Every day, for five minutes, restrain your imagination and close your eyes to all earthly impressions so as to be able to withdraw into the sanctuary of your baptized soul, the temple of the Holy Ghost, then address the Holy Spirit in these terms:

O Holy Spirit! Soul of my soul, I adore Thee.
Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me.
Tell me what I ought to do.
Command me to do it.
I promise to accept whatever Thou permittest to befall me.
Only show me what is Thy will!

“If you do this, your life will pass in contentment and peace. You will have abundant consolation even amidst troubles, for you will receive grace in proportion to your trials and strength in proportion to your burdens, until the day when you will reach the gates of Heaven weighted with precious merits. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity.” (Fr. Frederick T. Hoeger, C.S.Sp.)

Try it. Try it every day. Keep at it. It's not rocket science. And it will be a good way to seek the serious dose of sanctity our soul requires.

Happy Sunday!