On Day 2 of this retreat, we said that when the Holy Spirit is active in our lives, we begin to have a new desire for holiness and a new thirst for prayers, reading the Scripture and receiving Sacraments. Today, we will talk about how the Holy Spirit makes us holy. Please note that we are not saying “how we make ourselves holy” but rather “how the Spirit makes us holy”. There is a huge difference between the two. As we mentioned in our Pentecost retreat last year, attaining holiness is simply beyond what we can achieve by our own power. There is no single formula or set program to follow. Just as we cannot change others no matter how hard we try, we also need the humility to admit that we cannot change ourselves without the help of the Spirit. This is not a statement of hopelessness, but a great relief for all of us. It is the Spirit’s job to change us and to mold us. All we need to do is not to resist Him as we surrender ourselves to allow the Spirit to “operate” on us. Simply put: We should resist the temptation to attain holiness by ourselves. Let us be reminded that the Holy Spirit has more desire to sanctify us than ourselves. Our role is to become His collaborator. What we can offer is our openness, humility, and our willingness to be changed. This change in attitude makes possible the Spirit's work upon us to sanctify us.On our path to holiness, we will experience deeper conversion along the way. “This is often manifested in a newfound authority to resist sinful tendencies, a freedom from addictions or deep-rooted patterns of sin, and the healing of relationships, especially in marriage and family. Growth in holiness becomes less a matter of self-striving and more a yielding to the Holy Spirit. There is a new awakened attentiveness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, which leads to a deeper obedience to the Lord.” (Extracted from Pages 18-19 of the book “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Doctrinal Commission) The Spirit formed us in our mother’s womb according to the Father’s design. When the Spirit looks at us, He does not focus on our past sins and present weaknesses. He sees how beautiful we will become when we are fully open to His transforming power. He knows how we can reach our full potential in order to accomplish God’s mission for us on earth. As such, there is no better way to attain holiness, that is to become the person we are called to be, than listening to and following the prompts of the Holy Spirit. We need to learn to let go of control, following our own agenda or else the Spirit cannot enter into our lives to work on us. At our baptism, the seven sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us to mold and transform us into the image and likeness of God. (Note: 7 sanctifying gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.) By abiding in God like branches remaining in the Vine (cf. John 15:1-11), these gifts will help us bear great fruits. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) How well we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in using the seven sanctifying gifts for holiness can be gauged by how fruitful we are in bearing the fruit of the Spirit. It is really the evidence of our sanctification.Every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. (Matthew 7:17-18)A healthy trait of someone thirsting for holiness is to follow role models. It is a sign of humility to be willing to be led. Saints, especially Mother Mary, offer us great examples that Holiness is possible in all circumstances, even amidst extreme sufferings and persecutions. It offers us hope as we struggle our way through trials and tribulations of our own. Here, the sanctifying gifts of wisdom and knowledge guide us in choosing which Saints to follow as we desire to choose God over earthly things, God’s will over my will.Remember, personal sanctification is a unique spiritual journey on our way back to the Father’s House. It is not a race nor can it be compared with those of others. When God calls us to be perfect, what He hopes for is that we become who He wants us to be, which is our final destination.“Perfection is reached not so much by external conformity to an ideal as by inner faithfulness to God's inspirations.” – Fr. Jacques PhilippeREFLECTIONIt is good to examine on a daily basis how well we have done in terms of bearing the Fruit of the Spirit. Making this a habit greatly helps us to grow in holiness. Was I loving and kind to my family members? Did I show patience and gentleness to those who have offended me?Did I remain joyful and peaceful as I went through trials and tribulations?TODAY’S PRAYERDear Holy Spirit, thank you for your perfect example of what it means to ...
