Day 265: The Call to Holiness (2012-2016)

• It’s Day 265!!

• CHRISTIAN HOLINESS

• Every single one of us is called to be a saint

• Every single one of us has been created by God for God

• Every single one of us has been redeemed by Jesus Christ

• Every single one of us is called to cooperate with that Redemption and with His grace

• Every single one of us is ultimately called to be holy

• You are called to the heights of holiness

• This is God’s plan for YOUR life

• We need this reminder when we have failed and fallen so much

• This is what God wants for you now and into Eternity

• Without God’s grace, we are bound to fail

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we stumble into your presence, Father. But because of your Son, because of the Holy Spirit poured our into our hearts, you have given us access. We have been given access to you, and you have called us. You have called us to the heights of holiness. We ask that you, Father, in this moment and in every moment, bestow your Holy Spirit upon us. Help us to say yes to you. Help us to cooperate with you fully, with our thoughts, our words, our actions. That everything we do may be for your glory and for the salvation and sanctification of all the people around us. Lord God, make us holy. Help us to live in holiness this day and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• This is the call

• This is the destiny of every human being

• THIS IS YOUR DESTINY!!

• This is what God wants

• Paragraph 2012 says, “‘We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him…For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he mighty be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.’”

• Paragraph 2013 says, “‘All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.’ All are called to holiness: ‘Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift, so that…doing the will of the Father in everything everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the tholiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints.”

• If you ever thought that holiness is only for nuns or priests…and not for you…

• The reality is that the Church is crying out that all Christians in any state or walk of life to be holy

• Maybe you think you can’t be holy if you are not in your vocation

• IN ANY STATE OR WALK OF LIFE

• If your vocation has not worked out for whatever reason you may wonder what God can do in this moment

• You are STILL called to the fullness of Christian life and perfection of charity

• You are STILL called to be holy

• THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!

• We can only do this with God’s grace

• The heart of holiness is very simple

• It is simply to do the will of the Father

• That is it

• We do the will of the Father with the grace provided to us by Jesus

• What does God want?

• God wants us to take the next step

• St. Gregory of Nyssa says in Paragraph 2015, “He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.”

• Let’s listen to Fr. Mike talk about Venerable Bruno Lanteri…

• NUNC COEPI

• NOW I BEGIN

• I NEED TO DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER

• What is the will of the Father?

• Take the next step

• Say YES to Him right now 

• With the strength provided by Jesus Christ, I simply take the next step

• I simply start again

• I go from beginning to beginning through the beginnings that have no end

• All we are called to do is take the next step

• All we are called to do is give the next YES

• Even if we have made a shipwreck of our lives, what is the next YES?

• The next YES is, “Ok, God. I am going to go to Confession. I am going to hand over my heart to you.”

• THE NEXT YES IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE!!

• We can always begin again

• Venerable Bruno Lanteri said, “If I should fall 1,000 times a day, 1,000 times a day I will begin again with a new awareness of my weakness, promising God with a peaceful heart to amend my life.”

• This is the grace of PERSEVERANCE

• This is FORTITUDE

• This is TRUE COURAGE

• I’ll begin again with new awareness of my weakness

• I actually know how deeply my weakness goes

• It is only those who have tried to stand up against the wind who truly know how strong they are  and truly know how strong the wind is

• It is only those who actually have fought against the temptation who truly know how weak they are or how strong they are and how strong temptation is

• BUT…

• I BEGIN AGAIN

• NUNC COEPI

• I promise God with a peaceful heart to amend my life

• “Ok, God. I’ll start again. I’ll begin again.”

• Paragraph 2016 says, “The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus. Keeping the same rule of life, believers share the ‘blessed hope’ of those whom the divine mercy gathers into the ‘holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

• We are all called to pray for the grace of FINAL PERSEVERANCE

• We want the grace to say YES right now

• We want the grace to say NUNC COEPI

• We want the grace to say I BEGIN AGAIN

• It is a unique grace given to have that grace of final perseverance

• That grace, at the end of our lives to say, “Lord God, do something miraculous. At the end of my life, Lord God, take me into your arms. At the end of life, Lord God, no matter how I have lived, I want to live saying yes to you with my whole life. I want to be that saint you called me, created me, redeemed me to be. But also, Lord God, at the end of my life, let me say yes.”

• Imagine at the end of your life with your last breath 

• Imagine walking through this life

• Yeah, I fell, but NUNC COEPI

• NOW I BEGIN

• “Ok, God. A new day. Now I begin. Nunc Coepi.”

• “Ok, God. You are calling me to do this? Ok. Nunc Coepi. Now I begin.”

• Imagine with your last breath as you depart this world to start the new life in the next world that you can say, “Ok, Lord. Nunc Coepi. Now I begin. Now I begin this life in Heaven.”

• INCREDIBLE!!

• That is what God has made you for

• Holiness in this life

• Fullness of joy in this life

• Fullness of peace in this life with battles and trials

• BUT…

• With that confidence…

• NOW I BEGIN!!

• NUNC COEPI!!

• Then we step into heaven and we can say those words in the presence of God Himself

• NUNC COEPI!!

• NOW I BEGIN THIS NEW LIFE!!

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• Pinnay Kaanum (Malayalam for bye!!)