Holiness...

Hi there!

With Lent just beginning holiness seemed to be a great subject to research, so I dug up some old books and started reading.  Coincidentally, I also just heard a really good sermon on the meaning of holiness a few weeks ago.  I put together all I learned and decided to share it with you all as a sort of introduction to my blog.

So what is holiness?

According to the Catholic Dictionary, holiness is "union with God through morally good acts.  Sanctifying grace is its indispensable basis; for grace unites man to God by allowing him to share in the divine life, and is always accompanied by infused virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost.  Mortal sin alone destroys holiness, for it alone deprives the soul of grace.  Progress in holiness, even to a heroic degree, is made by keeping the commandments, the doing of good works and the practice of virtue."

Okay, so lets think about what all this means.

Holiness is "union with God through morally good acts."  What makes an action morally good? When an action is done in accordance with the Will of God, in the state of grace, and is done with the purpose of pleasing Him, it is morally good and unites us to Him.  When a good action is performed without sanctifying grace, it is still good, but it has no merit , because without sanctifying grace we are enemies of God and not in union with Him.  Until we have His Life in us, our souls are dead and can never become holy.  After we are baptized, the only thing that can take sanctifying grace out of our souls is mortal sin, the renouncing of God and His gifts.  Until we confess our sins and receive the absolution of a priest we are living in mortal sin and are barred from Heaven and grace.  Nothing unholy can be in the presence of God, and no one is born holy, so it follows that to be with Him in heaven one day we must grow in holiness, by staying in the state of grace and performing morally good works.   Any action in accordance with the Will of God and offered to Him is a morally good action and brings merit to our souls! For instance, eating temperately is an action in accordance with the Divine Will, so if you offer up your meals to God, you are gaining supernatural graces as well as feeding yourself! It's always best to say a morning offering first thing when you wake up to offer your whole day to our Lord, and then try to offer each action to Him individually as well (this practice also helps you refrain from sinning because it makes you stop and think before you do anything).  By offering our every day as a sacrifice, we are growing in holiness and bringing ourselves closer and closer in union with God.