Filling The Holiness Gap
Are you the kind of person you really want to be? We should be excited and confident people; after all, we are created in the image and likeness of God. Do you have a heart of God? In a supportive venture between us and God, we are born to be holy; but we sometimes fall short. What causes the holiness gap that keeps us from being what and who we want to be and ought to be? In (Galatians 5:16), St Paul gives advice to those defeated in their attempts to lead a Christian life. “Walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Christian life is not a dream, but a battle. There is a good guy and bad guy in each of us, and the struggle is between the spirit and the flesh. In (Philippians 2:12-13), St. Paul says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” We cannot fight the battle on our own; we need God’s grace to strengthen us. Our minds can be renewed, our hearts changed and our souls set aflame with love when we acknowledge the absolute need for God in our lives.
The soul animates the body, and this is why we desire God. But it is difficult to desire what does not exist for us. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to help us in this step of conversion. A contractor builds a wood frame before pouring the cement for his project. We also need to prepare an outward form and expect that God will fill it. God is always at work! He has a plan of sanctification for every believer. Thankfully, He is very patient with us. The Bible explains God’s time this way: “With the Lord one day is a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) Time is relative for God, but this is not an excuse for delaying any atonement needed to rebuild our lives.
David wrote Psalm 51 after he sinned against God with adultery and murder. David, blinded by his own serious sin, did not want to face God. It was the Prophet Nathan who exposed his greed and reminded him that repentance is the key to heaven. We must have our ears open to people who may see our sins more clearly than we do. We must learn to depend on Jesus in every circumstance. Jesus said: “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance. God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16)
Are you ready in your own personal lives to die to privileges and comforts, so that someone else might have a life of God in him? Evangelization is important! Please do not shy away from spiritual discipline, or you will not be a good disciple. Dorothy Day once said, “Create an environment where it is easier to be good.” “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”— (Acts 1:8) God is so good to us!
After His resurrection into heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to empower us. The Blessed Mother was in that Upper Room when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost.
She continues to actively guide people on earth today. The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit want New Evangelization. We clearly have a role in this venture of strengthening the Christians of this world. The Church is the wellspring that will help purify the world. When the well is polluted, God’s plan for salvation and His kingdom are affected. Jesus never promised that it would be easy, but He said: “In this world you will have persecutions; in this world you will have the fire, the baptism of suffering, and division.” But He also said, “Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Please help fill the holiness gap by strengthening your families with the gifts offered to us by the Holy Spirit. It is time for a “New Pentecost,” and the Holy Spirit can be that unique guide to renew our minds, change our hearts, and fan the flame of love in our souls; making us that person we really want to be; a person with a heart of God. Amen!
