"Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." (Hebrews 12:14) On reflecting on this St. John Cardinal Newman wrote: "If holiness be not merely the doing a certain number of good actions, but is an inward character which follows, under God's grace, from doing them, how far distant from that holiness are the multitude of men."

Holiness is will of God for us. He created and redeemed us, sharing his divine life, so that we may be holy as he is holy. We don't earn holiness. It is a grace from God. Yet, we are called to respond to his grace. The fundamental response is love: the love of God and the love of those whom God loves. This love is expressed in thoughts, words and deeds. The more love is our basic motivation in life, the more we are growing in the life of holiness. Holiness is the fulfillment of our existence. It is the litmus test of our whole life. Holiness is God's life reflected in our lives. Isn't this the light which Jesus commands us to show forth to others? Even when we are growing in holiness, we still feel far from God, otherwise we may cease growing in love. The saints reflect this in their lives. In turn it made them strive for greater holiness through love. "Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy", if you wish to see God.