Introduction

Leon Bloy once said, “There is only one sadness. The sadness of not being a saint.” You might think that you don't have what it takes to become a saint, that you don't know how to become holy. You might think you don't have enough time to add yet one more thing to your plethora of obligations. You might think that holiness would require what you are not prepared to give. There is a cost to holiness. There is a cost to anything that is of any worth, any value. But the cost is not what you think.

Holiness is not something you tack on to the other responsibilities of life. You don't make a habit of holiness like you make a habit of brushing your teeth. You don't read about how to do it, and then practice it routinely every day. Holiness occurs in the lived life. Daily living is the arena, the environment, where holiness takes root and flowers.

Living the spiritual life is being spiritual in every situation in which we find ourselves. For example, if you come home tired and you don't feel like cooking, and you suggest to your spouse that you go out to eat and your spouse doesn't think you should spend the money, what is your reaction? Do you sulk, pout, fix dinner angrily, and become silent during dinner? Your immediate reaction is the barometer of your spiritual life.

What if you're at work trying to meet a deadline, feeling pressured, stressed and somewhat put upon, and your boss brings in a new project that is important and asks that you begin working on it today. What is your response? Do you smile sweetly and feel anger rising in your throat or lower back? Do you begin a litany of the things that you are already involved in that are taking time and energy and grumble that you just can't do one more thing without falling apart? Your immediate reaction is the barometer of your spiritual life.

Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit and is the longest season of the Church Year. It begins 50 days after Easter, as the pastels of spring deepen into the dark rich green that blankets the landscape throughout the summer. It carries with it a sense of growth, of slow and deliberate movement, of journey.

You can begin the journey of holiness during this Pentecost season by examining your reactions and attitudes to the daily doses of life you are given. If you cannot find your spirituality there, it is unlikely you would find it if you were free of all responsibilities and had the luxury of thinking of no one but yourself and God. It is the day to day, the minute to minute, the joy and the sorrow, the bitter and the sweet that is the training ground for holiness. So pay attention to your life this Pentecost.

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