How Prayer and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit Can Guide Christians Toward Holiness
The pursuit of sanctification is not an easy one, but it is a necessary one for all Christians who seek to grow in their faith. As mentioned in 1 Peter 1:16, the purpose of God is our sanctification, and this call is for all Christians, not just those in religious orders.
To become holy, we need to let go of our selfish desires, pride, gluttony, lust, comfort, and cowardice. These are all things that distract us from the divine and hinder our spiritual growth. Instead, we must strive for more faith, hope, and charity, which are supernatural gifts from above that we can obtain through prayer.
Prayer is the ordinary means that God has provided for us to obtain these greater things, and it is an essential part of the Christian life. We can pray at any time, and through prayer, we can beg God for the virtues we most need to build holiness. For example, if we struggle with patience, we can ask God for more patience through prayer.
Additionally, we can seek out examples of holiness in the lives of the saints. The saints provide us with a tangible model of what it means to live a holy life. For example, St. Therese of Lisieux was known for her devotion to God and her love for others. Her “Little Way” of doing small things with great love is an excellent example of how we can practice holiness in our daily lives.
Moreover, we can also practice holiness through acts of service to others. By serving others, we imitate Christ, who came not to be served but to serve. We can offer our time, talents, and resources to those in need, and in doing so, we build up the body of Christ and grow in holiness ourselves.
Finally, we must remember that we cannot build anything on our own, but we need the grace of God to do so. We must ask for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit in prayer: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These gifts allow us to see and understand the divine plan for our lives and give us the strength and courage to carry it out.
In conclusion, the pursuit of sanctification requires us to let go of the mundane and embrace the divine. Through prayer, the examples of the saints, acts of service, and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in holiness and become more like Christ.
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This article is based on the video “Como caminar en santidad” created by Dante Urbina, a Catholic apologist.