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Does Just Being 'Good' Cut It?
"It is certain that one must die in the state of grace in order to be saved... However, the question is precisely whether [the faithful] can preserve the state of grace for a long time without striving to grow in holiness..."
Adolphe Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life, Tournai: Desclee & Co, 1930, p 176.
posted by Holly at 10:12 AM
2 Comments:
Somewhere along the way, there has developed a notion that sanctity and holiness are only for priests and religious, and that it suffices for the laity to just be 'good'. Do I as a mother hold to this?
Vatican II re-issued what it called 'the universal call to holiness'. Jesus said, "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Do we realize that 'good people' don't go to heaven? Only 'saints' go to heaven? And that purgatory is not meant to be the normal route to God? If anything, purgatory is a sign of a 'failure' on our part to live the life God has called us to on earth.
There are not two levels of holiness. We need to realize this, for the 'desire' for perfection and intimacy with God is one of the necessary conditions for achieving it.
I am a good person. This comment gives me the impression that the person is content to remain "a good person". Ofcourse we are all good because we are created by God but as Christians we are called to move forward, to take our goodness and strive for more, to be more like Christ. In our journey to heaven, we can't stand still in our comfort zone. If we aren't moving forward, we are sliding back. We are called to holiness as Moms, in our homes. Let's step up to the plate. I know we won't regret it.
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