Growing in Holiness This Summer

I was reflecting on holiness and my inner life and I realized I have been lacking in the spirit of sacrifice, especially since the beginning of Summer. My routine is “off” and filled with outdoor activities, barbecues, recreation, and vacation. Even though we have not had as many activities due to the health crisis, I am still enjoying these activities with my family at home.

During the Lenten Season, we are steeped in sacrifice and prayer. I feel the grace of God in a way that is different than other times of the year. I realized I was not focusing on many sacrifices so far this Summer. I am also falling into gluttony and doing my will instead of God’s. I could not remember the last time I seriously fasted or exercised the three acts of bodily mortification I should do daily. I was living the lazy days of Summer.

Holiness Is Dying to Self

For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him.” Philippians 1:29

The saints knew that holiness was dying to themselves through penance and self-denial. St. Francis wore a hair shirt under his clothes and other saints used to inflict physical pain or days of fasting on themselves for their love of God.
They did not do this to punish themselves but to sanctify themselves. They wanted to offer up their sacrifices to the redeeming power of the Cross of Christ. Their sacrifices helped them master their desires so when Satan came around to tempt them, they would be able to turn away and continue living virtuous lives. Their sacrifices and sufferings were always done with love, patience, perseverance, and joy. St. John Vianney said, “Look at the saints, when they were not persecuted, they persecuted themselves.”

Offer it Up for the Love of Jesus

More often than I would like to admit, I forget to offer up my sacrifices to Jesus on the Cross for my own sanctification, petitions, or to save souls. I sometimes begrudgingly do my wifely duties like cooking, cleaning, dishes, and laundry. I forget that if I align them with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, I can make them meritorious.

So, in prayer this morning, I decided to re-incorporate my three bodily mortifications and a day of fasting. This morning, I had black coffee and offered that up to Jesus. I usually have heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, and vanilla to make it a treat. Later in the morning, I decided I would not eat breakfast and offered that to Jesus as I petitioned for my husband to return to the Church. I decided not to eat lunch until this article was done, offering it up once again. I am pretty hungry right now. Hey, I will offer up my hunger, because I do not want to waste it. I am loving this feeling of hunger.

When Jesus is the core of my sacrifice, I love to do these things. I think about all He sacrificed for the love of us. I need to continuously detach from this world, my flesh, and be armed to fight the Devil and all his snares. Later today I will offer up making dinner, doing dishes, and whatever else I can think of along the way. Tonight, when I pray my Examen Prayer, I look forward to recognizing all the ways I sacrificed, with love, and made those acts meritorious.

St. John Vianney said this about suffering and sacrifice:

There are two ways of suffering – to suffer with love, and to suffer without love. The saints suffered everything with joy, patience, and perseverance because they loved. As for us, we suffer with anger, vexation, and weariness, because we do not love. If we loved God, we should love crosses, we should wish for them, we should take pleasure in them. We should be happy to be able to suffer for the love of Him who lovingly suffered for us. Of what do we complain? Alas! the poor infidels, who have not the happiness of knowing God and His infinite loveliness, have the same crosses that we have; but they have not the same consolations. You say it is hard? No, it is easy, it is consoling, it is sweet; it is happiness. Only we must love while we suffer and suffer while we love.

Let’s remember that each day should be filled with sacrifices. Let’s show God our love and watch our holiness grow every day and in every season of the year.