Consistently holy

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ (Luke 10: 1-9)

In spite of their human limitations, the Son of God entrusts the proclaiming of the Gospel to some men whom He has personally chosen. The Church is holy not because all those who belong to it are holy, but because the one who founded the Church and who still guides it through the Holy Spirit is holy. Obviously, everyone who belongs to the Church is called to lead consistently holy lives. We must strive to lead a path toward purification and holiness, without placing blame on our particular time in history nor on any difficulties we are experiencing. During your next appointment with your spiritual director, ask him whether you have made progress in the last year on your own path to holiness.