The idea of progressing in holiness makes sense since we are making a transition from the Laws and Prophets to the truth and grace that Christ would bring when He came. John humbly recognised his unworthiness to untie the sandals of the Redeemer, noting that his baptism with water would be enriched by the baptism of the Spirit.
For some of us, holiness sounds like an impossible word. Given the innate sense of unworthiness, it appears that we can never be holy or worst still, some are allergic to being “too holy”. The fear concerning our “worthiness” arises because we are performance-centred, meaning that we look at holiness as a box to tick off. In other words, holiness feels like an achievement but it is not. Instead, holiness is more a state of being or better still it expresses a desire to draw towards the Lord. Take a look at both the Collects and Prayers over the Offerings for last Sunday and this. They help us to reframe the way we conceive and think of holiness.
For the 1st Sunday of Advent, the Collect reads as “Grant your faithful the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ”. For today, “May no earthly undertaking hinder those who set out in haste to meet your Son”. Both these express the sentiment that holiness comes from the resolve and haste to meet the Christ.
The weakness of present society is to define who we are in terms of what we can achieve. Nobody should be a failure for life. It is important to succeed and while a sense of accomplishment is crucial to one’s mental health, the Prayer over the Offerings last Sunday and today acknowledge that firstly, everything we are and have is God’s gift to us and secondly, that we have no merit to plead our own cause. Nothing is ever ours which should draw us into an acute awareness that we are dependent on God to deepen our desire to meet His Christ.
Think, for example, of the simple suggestion last Sunday to pray as a family around the Christmas wreath. It was a means to an end but some might find that too troublesome because we are unused to making spiritual preparations. Moreover it requires a silence which we are unaccustomed to. Even though we may be quiet, the fact is that our lives are too noisy. A preparation to welcome the Saviour as suggested by John calls for a cultivation of an interior life.
In fact, the desert of Advent symbolises the meeting between God and the soul. There is a way of creating the desert which has fallen out of use. In the past, when a Jesuit went for his annual retreat, no newspapers would be the first thing he noticed. Then there were no TVs nor radios. The privation (or lack of outside engagement) was to provide for little or no distraction so that the soul may encounter the Creator where one was either challenged (on account of our sins) or comforted (on account of our brokenness) by Him. Outside the retreat setting, this space for encounter was created by what we called “major silence” where all forms of noisy activities ceased and Jesuits retreated to the room for quiet, to calm the senses and also to heighten the senses for a greater reception of God.
Today, such practices have fallen on the wayside. No newspapers? No problem. Podcasts or YouTube are now streamed into the cell (or the hermitage) and no one is ever disconnected. In other words, the desert of silence has surrendered its walls.
Holiness requires the cultivation of an interior life. It is not focused activity per se. St Ignatius defines any spiritual exercise (activity) as a training of the soul for the long run. Just like jogging, running, weight-lifting are all training that benefit the physical body, the activities we engaged in are merely means to an end. The goal is a soul disposed to or opened to the will of God. Holiness is not an activity nor even a series of activities but really a way of life. Activities does not prove holiness as much as holiness manifests itself through every action that we take.
There is a popular adage, whether fact or fiction, that might give us a sense of where society is. “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” There may be truth that wealth and an easy life does make for decadence in society. The notion of a “snowflakes or strawberry” generation comes from this observation. What is relevant is how we are having life so good that we might find it difficult to conceive the idea of giving ourselves over to God for a better life. After all what can God promise that we are not already enjoying it? The best luxury holiday in a remotest corner of the world. The most delectable durian you can sink your teeth into. The creamiest cheese cake to ever roll through your tongue. Contrast that with many who are dedicated to God. They suffer. So, how can we buy into the proposition that doing God’s will can ever bring us the deepest happiness.
Which is why without an interior life, we will always be distracted by the momentary pleasures the world promises. Athletes take a couple of months prior to a major competition to intensify their training in order to be prepared for that moment. Lent and Advent provide space for the growth of our interiority. The voice in the wilderness cries out, “Make straight a path for the Lord”. Next Sunday it is Gaudete. The colour change in liturgical vestment creates a sense of what it means to be near to the Lord. The self-denial we practise these days is not meant to deprive us but to heighten our anticipation so that when He comes our hearts are already primed to receive Him.
Finally, apart from the Christmas wreath you may have set up, other exercises during Advent might help to prepare for the coming of the Lord. First, gather as a family for prayers around the Christmas wreath. Second, go for your confession. Third, if you are attending Mass only on Sunday, go for one more during the week and finally, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Take the extra step by giving more time to the Lord because holiness springs from our desire to encounter Christ. As Paul advised Timothy. “Train yourself for devotion for, while physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future”.
