Get Holy Or Die Trying

A wonderful Monday to ya! My morning has been filled with sunshine, fried eggs, blackberry picking in our garden, and the anticipation of making chocolate zucchini cake.

As I was praying over my morning meditation, I was contemplating virtue and how it is intrinsically connected with sainthood.  I assume all of you want to be saints.  If you raised your hand, we are on the same page.  If you raised your eyebrow, I suggest you toddle off to your friendly neighborhood priest and have a lil' chat with him.

I want to ask you (rhetorically), what are you going to be the patron saint of?  Are you good enough, holy enough to be a patron saint of anything?  Do you have the virtues you need to overcome your vices?  God doesn't accept anything less than perfection, since He Himself is the epitome of perfection.  Are you perfect enough to stand in front of Him at your judgment, to hear Him say, "Welcome, my beloved, my dearest heart, come join Me in Paradise?"  This is serious, guys.  This is real.

This summer, don't just spend your time getting the perfect tan, get the perfect soul!  You're just going to lose that tan come winter, but you will never lose a perfect soul.  Yes, this world is full of temptations and dark attractions, but there is still hope!  God will never, ever present you with a temptation which you are not strong enough to overcome.  He will ALWAYS provide you with sufficient grace to resist the charming wiles of that damn devil. 

Luckily for us, there are 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit: one for each month of the year! In this Year of Faith, how about we strengthen our Faith, our souls, our lives by growing in virtue and the fruits that flow from them.  The fruits of the Holy Spirit are the observable behaviors of people who have allowed grace and virtue to fill their lives.  Every month, focus on appealing to the Holy Spirit for one specific fruit.

                                                  The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
                                                                    -Charity
                                                                    -Joy
                                                                    - Peace
                                                                    -Patience
                                                                    -Kindness
                                                                    -Goodness
                                                                    -Generosity
                                                                    -Gentleness
                                                                    -Faithfulness
                                                                    -Modesty
                                                                    -Self-control
                                                                    -Chastity

“Just so, 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. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:17-20)