Jul 25 Fri
Should I try to be holy by doing spectacular, extraordinary actions?
We must seek holiness in the little things of each day.
St Josemaría pointed out the way for us to become saints, as our Lord wants. It is a very clear path: "sanctity in ordinary things, sanctity in little things, sanctity in our professional work... Sanctity to sanctify. So, I say to you, if you want to become a thorough-going Christian - and I know you are willing, even though you often find it difficult to conquer yourself - then you will have to be very attentive to the most minute details. The holiness that our Lord demands of you is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work, and your daily duties, and these will almost always consist of small realities."
Some, despite years of experience, still go about dreaming … waiting to hunt lions in the corridors of their homes, where the most they find are mice. But you should be accompanying God through the faithful fulfilment of your ordinary daily duties, winning the little struggles, which fill our Lord with joy, and which are known only to him and to each one of us.
"Rest assured that you will usually find few opportunities for dazzling deeds, one reason being that they seldom occur. On the other hand, you will not lack opportunities, in the small and ordinary things around you, of showing your love for Christ."
Besides putting this into practice, we have to teach those around us to finish things lovingly and add the final touches, practicing heroism in little things. "Inexperience leads some to disdain little things, the common, everyday things: a small detail, silence..., tidiness. We need to confront this grave error head-on by helping them consider the well-known maxim, ‘He who despises small things will fall little by little in the big ones.’ And the verse from St Luke: ‘He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much’."
We have to keep a constant and loving watch, asking our Lord to help us see clearly any small deviations which, if not corrected, could become serious. Our vigilance should extend to small things. Do you really want to be a saint? -Carry out the little duty of each moment: do what you ought and concentrate on what you are doing. Because he who is faithful in the little thing is also faithful in the great.
A person who doesn't struggle in small things, who says: "I'm holding myself back for the big moment," ends up making a fool of himself.
God seeks our heroic response in little things to reward us with great happiness. We need to recall the simple life of our Blessed Mother Mary, who passed unnoticed among the women of her land. "If you live in this way, you will make of your life a fruitful apostolate. And at the end of the way, you will receive Jesus' praise: Since you have been faithful in the little things, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your Lord."