Tag: #beginagain

I was reading through some of my, I guess I will call them journals, for lack of a better term this morning. I found some notes that I had written on a homily from a mass that I attended on Thursday, January 24, 2019, at the Co-Cathedral in Houston, Texas.

January 24th is the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales. During that mass, the priest gave a great homily about St. Francis de Sales and his exhortations on holiness and how ordinary people are called to extraordinary holiness, indicating that this holiness could be achieved in one’s everyday life.

Holiness can look different to different people depending on their current situation in life, their occupation, and their vocation. But all Christians are called to holiness, and this holiness can be achieved through daily living according to St. Francis de Sales, through singing and dancing, through work and play. However, the path to holiness is not easy as growing in holiness requires our continual and free cooperation with the grace of God.

It is easy to become exasperated as we, as imperfect humans, travel this path to holiness. We are flawed, we are sinners, and we need to begin anew each day. But as St. Francis wrote to one of his followers who was experiencing this very same frustration, “Be patient with the whole world, but, above all with yourself. I want to tell you not to lose your serenity because of your imperfections, and always to have the zest to raise yourself up. It gives me joy to see each day you begin again. There is no better way to finish life well than to return to the starting point always and not ever to think that we have done enough.”

St. Francis de Sales’ whole premise of holiness is beautiful. Each of us, as Christians, is called to holiness. What does holiness look like for your life? It is going to be different and unique for each of us. How are you being called to holiness? It is sometimes difficult for me to “hear” what God is calling me to. What can you do to grow in holiness? This is a great question, and I am not good at answering these types of inquiries. For me, it can be a greater focus on prayer, practicing patience in situations in which I would not normally be patient or being more present to those around me. But even if you fail, or fall short, or don’t feel like you are living up to an ideal of holiness, we can refer back to St. Francis De Sales and “begin again”.

So today, strive toward holiness, in your daily activities. Be patient and forgiving with yourself and know that each day you can begin again. And today, please pray for me and I will continue to pray for you.