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OUR JOURNEY TO HOLINESS
This week I am making final preparations before I leave for the Vatican II Institute in Menlo Park, California. This program offers parish priests the ability to grow intellectually in a relaxed atmosphere. I also look forward to spending time with my family as they live near the seminary. In addition this will be a time of prayer and reflection. These are all aspects of holiness. I believe wholeness is the best way to understand holiness. In this article I would like the parish to reflect on how they will grow in holiness as Fall begins.
Wholeness refers to developing each area of our personality. To live a holy life is to be a person cares for the spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual aspects of our person. To be a holy person does not only mean to pray for a certain period each day but to develop the various aspects of our personality. We often meet people who focus their attention on one or two aspects of their personality to the exclusion of the other aspects. Some individuals will spend a great amount of time in prayer but not get enough rest or eat healthy foods. Others will build up their body without strengthening their relationship with God. Some focus on their strength and beauty without developing healthy and positive relationships with family and friends. How is God calling us to develop all aspects of your personality?
To be holy we must be a people who develop a relationship with God through prayer and through loving our neighbor. Deepening our relationship with God comes through spending time with God in prayer. Many grow in their relationship with God through silent prayer especially in Adoration. I have found that reading and reflecting on the meaning of the Sacred Scriptures helps me deepen my relationship with God. In order to grow spiritually we must also be a people who live our faith. We must be a people who not only spend time with God but who bring that message to others and who make a positive difference in the lives of those in need. Prayer and action are both a part of growing spiritually.
Holiness comes not only through caring for our spiritual lives but also through caring for our physical lives. Many are so busy with spiritual growth and consumed in their work that they do not care for their bodies. How many do we know who do not eat healthy foods and who do not get enough rest? An aspect of our relationship with God is how we care for our bodies.
Holiness focuses not only on how we develop spiritually and physically but also how we grow emotionally. God has created us as social beings. An important aspect of being human is having healthy relationships. I often tell people that I could not do the work that I do as a priest without the family and friends in my life. An aspect of being holy is being able to love others and to accept love from others. Developing this aspect of our personality helps us to journey through the challenges of life and to help others do the same.
Finally an aspect of growing in holiness is having a desire to grow intellectually. People can be developed spiritually, physically, and emotionally but have little need to grow intellectually. I believe we are called to develop all aspects of our personality, including our intellect. Part of growing in holiness is having a curiosity about various subjects and growing in the knowledge of those subjects. I enjoy learning about the Bible, Medical Ethics, Social Justice and Geology.
As I approach my sabbatical I will care for myself spiritually through prayer and service; physically through getting enough sleep, exercise and eating healthy food; emotionally through spending time with family; and intellectually through reading a variety of books. Even in the midst of our busy lives, let us all commit to grow in holiness.
In Christ Jesus,
Fr. Mark
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