“To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves” (Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 14).

If you want to be holy, you want a heart like Christ’s; you want to love Christ and others with a supernatural love. Holiness is for here and now!

We need to love God and feel God’s love for us. Our whole heart should be turned towards God and the people closest to us. Our Lord expects something from us – like we expect something from our friends – and we want to respond to his love.

We’ll never get tired of loving, because charity, which is love, fills our hearts. Our poor hearts crave love. So we need to take care of them, filling our hearts with Christ’s genuine love for us, which gives us the strength to love and the confidence of being loved.

This means that we don’t need to do extraordinary things. God asks us for little acts of charity, lovingly fulfilling the little duty of each moment. Loving God makes us holier and holier, and his love brings us to heaven. “If Love, even human love, gives so much consolation here, what will Love not be in heaven?” (The Way, no. 428).

That’s our mission here on earth: loving and struggling.