Holiness and Wholeness

We must not make the mistake of equating wholeness with holiness. The glorious grace of Our Lord allows for broken, miserable saints. No person is beyond His reach. And there have been many, many black-hearted people who apparently had everything in life – wisdom, happiness, peace, wealth - but who lacked the love of God. They only tapped the surface gain of these things, and never knew the peace of Christ, the Hope of Christ, the wealth of Christ, or the Wisdom of Christ. These things transcend circumstance, they are beyond our understanding, and they reach far above the meager pleasures of this world.

And yet…

Wholeness is deeply integral in our journey toward Sainthood.

What is Wholeness, and how is it different from Holiness?

Wholeness is the humble choice to embrace self-improvement, with a growth mindset, and the recognition that one can only go so far without the help of the Lord, but that it is worthwhile to strive toward Him, to demonstrate love and a low opinion of one’s common faults.

Holiness is a pure grace from God. It suffuses our sensations, and does not stem from our own efforts: it elevates us above and beyond what any self-improvement can do.

It is our joy, as sons and daughters of God, who are put here to live our best lives, to strive for the wholeness for which we were created.

We are summoned to Hope. The world sees Lack as the ultimate and all-encompassing force, which drives our need to produce and protect our fragile productions. But we are called to Hope: to hope for the good things of this life, to believe that they are attainable, and to see the hand of God in every things we gain.

When we are free from the shadow of our own fears, we can rest in the providence of God’s care. And when we believe that God fulfills all his promises, we believe most of all in the fulfillment of the promise of his love and salvation.

Wholeness is not holiness, but it is a gift which the Lord desires to give. In our yearning and striving after the sanctity of sainthood, we strive ever nearer the wholeness for which we are created. And no matter how far we get on the path of wholeness, if we constantly surrender all to Christ, then His grace becomes more than sufficient to purify our weaknesses, burn them away, and grant the gift of holiness.

When we seek ever after sanctity and wholeness, with humility and eagerness, we rest secure and happy in the burning fire of Jesus’ Sacred Heart.