For this is the will of God, your sanctification.
1st Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 4:3
In today’s Epistle, St. Paul affirms that God wants us to be saints. To the Ephesians, he speaks in even greater detail: God the Father, he explains, “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish in His sight in love. He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ as His sons, according to the purpose of His will.” (Eph. 1:4-5) Already in the Old Testament, we read this exhortation from God Himself: “Be ye holy, because I am holy” (Lev. 19:2). Our Lord goes so far as to say, “You therefore are to be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).
Perhaps this word of holiness frightens us. We think right away of extraordinary mortifications or spectacular manifestations, like speaking in tongues, levitation, the gift of healing, etc. So let us understand well what it means “to be holy.” It means conforming ourselves, assimilating ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ. We will be holy to the degree of our resemblance to Jesus: such is the aim of the action of the Holy Ghost in us, and such is the path by which He will lead us to holiness.
This work is carried out progressively by prayer and by the frequent reception of the sacraments, to which we need to join the combat against our evil tendencies and the practice of good works. For us, poor sinners, what an honor to be able to attain such a good in spite of our native misery!
Lord Jesus, I desire to work with all my heart to reach holiness. I understand that, to do so, my life must have a greater resemblance to Your own. And so I wish to draw the strength I need from prayer, as You did, and I dare to say the words of St. Nicholas of Flüe: “Take me away from myself, and give me to You.”
(Taken from Toward Easter by Fr. Patrick Troadec)
Traditional Thomistic Catholic 