Holiness

“... Do not ask me how this treasure [holiness] can be found. It is no secret. The treasure is everywhere, it is offered to us at all times and wherever we may be. ... If we open our mouths they will be filled. The divine activity permeates the whole universe, it pervades every creature; wherever they are it is there; it goes before them, with them, and it follows them; all they have to do is to let the waves bear them on.”

~Jean-Pierre de Caussade

“One of the reasons [holiness is not complex] is because, like de Caussade and most of the saints, it sits light on methods.

For, after all, what is a method but a technology, that is, a repeatable, impersonal, and objective technique for causing some desired change through the least personal effort, like pressing a key or flipping a switch. Technology makes some part of life easier. But sanctity is not a part of life; it’s the meaning and end of life; and it does not make life easier, only more unified and more joyful.

For sanctity is love, and love never makes life easier, only more unified and joyful. There is no technique for sanctity because there is no technique for love and sanctity is love.

But that’s the whole point of life. The whole meaning of life is love: to love and let yourself be loved by God and your neighbor. Deep down, everybody knows that. The more important the question, the more certain and universal our knowledge of the answer is. And since that’s the most important of all questions, that’s the answer we all know with the most certainty, deep down.

And because love is the whole meaning of life, that’s why ‘in the evening of our life we will be judged on our love’ (Saint John of the Cross).

Love of course (and we all know this deep down, too, even though we often suppress it and rationalize its denial) is essentially not a feeling but a willing. That’s why we are responsible for it: because it is in our power, as feelings are not. Feelings come to us, love comes from us. Feelings happen to us, we happen to love. Feelings do us, we do love.

Of course, feelings are good and natural allies of willing. Good feelings motivate good willings, and bad feelings motivate bad willings. Good feelings also follow good willings, and bad feelings (guilt, anger, resentment, impotence, fear, self-hatred) follow bad willings. That’s why God gave us feelings: as motivators and as rewards (and punishments).”

~Peter Kreeft