MM#312--Finding Holiness in Everyday Life: Transforming the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser flourishing life.

Now here's your host, david Kaiser. Hello, I am David, and welcome back to another Mojo Minute. Now, today, we're going to turn the pages of a remarkable book that demystifies holiness and brings it within reach for each of us. In fact, the name of the book is Holiness and Brings it Within Reach for Each of Us. In fact, the name of the book is Holiness for Everyone. The Practical Spirituality of St Jose Maria by Eric Sammons. Now, it's more than just a book. It's actually a guide to discovering the extraordinary from the ordinary. And we're covering this because, after all, this week is Holy Week.

Holy Week is the most important week for Christians because it commemorates those significant events leading up to and including the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, jesus Christ, which is central to the Christian faith. Now, the significant events of this week are Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem that we celebrated two days ago on Palm Sunday, then the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, the crucifixion on Good Friday and the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. These events are considered the cornerstones of Christian belief. They symbolize the redemption, the forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Now, whether you're a homemaker, a CEO or somewhere in between, this episode inspired by Mr Eric Samen's book is a call to awaken the saint within you. Now, what comes to mind when I say holiness? What comes to mind? Monasteries, halo-adorned saints in stained glasses from 15th century castles. Eric Sammons invites us to look closer, right where we're at, in the office, in the kitchen or at the gym. Christian vocation calls every one of us to holiness, not by withdrawing from the world, but by engaging with it passionately. Is that not a liberating thought? In fact so liberating that allow me to share a quote straight from Mr Salmon's book. Go on to the book.

Walking through the grounds of a Trappist monastery on a spring afternoon, I reflected on the profound sense of peace that pervaded the atmosphere. I gazed at the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains towering silently in the distance like a massive sentinel protecting the land from modern encroachments. As far as my eye could see, green foliage spread throughout the landscape. The only sounds I heard were the occasional chirping of a bird and the lowing of a cow. Having escaped for one weekend from the grind of the quote real world, my thoughts ran akin to those of the novice monk Alosha and the brothers Karamazov when he juxtaposes his monastery with the outside world. Here was quiet, here was holiness, and there, confusion and darkness in which one immediately got lost and went astray. One immediately got lost and went astray. Holiness seemed an attainable dream as I walked among the trappist.

But back in real life, how could holiness go hand in hand with client meetings and diaper changes and mowing the lawn? It is precisely in work and family that God has called me to holiness. However, since of course I'm not a monk, has God set up an impossible goal for me? Can man reach for holiness while living in the world? The young Karamazov, too, faced this dilemma when the elder monk Zoma Zozima commanded him to leave the monastery for the outside world.

You will go forth from these walls, quotes the book. You will sojourn in the world like a monk. You will have many opponents, but your very enemies will love you. Life will bring you many misfortunes, but through them you will be happy and you will bless life and cause others to bless it, which is the most important thing. And for a time Alosha resisted his elders' command. The monastery seemed to him to be his only path to a holy and peaceful life. But eventually Alosha embraced his vocation as a sojourner outside the monastery walls.

And isn't that the way we always seem to be mixed up. Most folks can't conceptualize that holiness can be found in everyday life. Yet they see a life with all kind of confusion, with darkness, with evil, and it's very hard to conceptualize how to pull out holiness in a monk's living in a very active world. That's the beauty of this book. This book gives example upon example of how to practically live your life with a spirit and a recollection of holiness. In fact, one example they share is from St Thomas More, that famous English saint. In fact, let's go to the book to hear about his life.

One of the great examples of a lay person following the call to holiness in the world was St Thomas More. From 1478 to his death in 1535, his martyrdom. In fact, this English saint, who considered a monastic life before finally discerning a call to marriage and family, did not see the life of a lay person as an obstacle to holiness. Not only did he desire holiness for himself, he was also adamant that all in his household have the same goal. He was rigorous in all aspects of his children's education, but their religious education was always his top priority. All of England knew him to be a man of integrity, and it was due to this reputation that King Henry VIII wanted Moore's blessing on his illegitimate marriage to Anne Boleyn, for if Moore supported it, everyone would acknowledge that it must be a holy union. However, moore's commitment to complete devotion to the Lord and to his church would not allow him to compromise on that very issue. He would eventually be martyred for holding to the truth. Today we see his example of lay holiness, and we have made him the patron of politicians and statesmen, as well as an excellent role model for Catholic fathers. Now, moving on to another example that we'll actually cover more in depth later this week on our next Mojo Minute, let's keep reading in this book.

Soon after Moore went to his eternal reward, st Francis de Sales, who lived from 1567 to 1622, became one of the greatest teachers of lay spirituality. To ever grace the church of lay spirituality. To ever grace the church. His book, the Introduction to the Devout Life, was specifically directed not to the religious, but to lay people in the midst of the world, people like you and me. He lived in a Catholic culture that continued to separate lay people from the quest for holiness. But here's the key In the preface to this work, the Introduction to the Devout Life, he writes this Almost all who have hitherto treated of devotion have had in view the instruction of persons wholly retired from the world, or at least have taught a kind of devotion leading to this absolute retirement.

My intention is to instruct such as live in towns or families or at court who, by their condition, are obliged to lead as to the externals, the ordinary life, such persons often will not have considered the quest of undertaking in the devout life under pretext of its supposed impossibility in their circumstances. For, in their opinion, as no beast dares to taste the seed of the herb Palma Christi, so no man ought to aspire to the palm of Christian piety as long as he lives in the bustle of temporal affairs. Now DeSales insists that a devout life is possible for everyone. He says it is an error, even heresy, to endeavor to banish the devout life from the ranks of soldiers, the shops of tradesmen, the courts of princes or the households of married people. Whoever, wherever we are, we may be and ought to inspire to the perfect life.

Now St Jose Maria, the founder of Opus Dei, coined the term practical spirituality, which is at the heart of this book, and Eric Sammons does a great job in presenting it with relatable stories and antidotes, and actionable advice. In fact, at the end of each chapter he has let me find it here he has a series of wonderful action steps, and you know how we love action steps here at the Theory to Action podcast. So at the end of each chapter he has a read, meditate, pray and contemplate, and he gives you various action steps to go through after each chapter. So this is a wonderful little book. I finished it in the lead up to Holy Week, so I highly recommend it.

Now, in terms of this practical spirituality, it's all about creating a holy routine, something that might sound contradictory, but it's in the very contradiction that we find holiness, because it's just not reserved for Sundays only. In fact, let's go back to the book and see how we can put all this into practice. Back to the book and see how we can put all this into practice. Practically. This means that not everyone needs to go out and preach, like St Paul found an order to help the poor, like Mother Teresa, or lead the church like St Leo the Great. Some are called to such great works, but most are not. However, every follower of Christ is called to ambitiously pursue holiness in each and every activity of life, whether great or small.

Again, there is the irony Worldly ambition looks at the big things of life being the head of a company, having a mansion and a new large TV. But holy ambition does the opposite. It looks for the little things in life Changing the diapers without complaint, helping a friend in need without fanfare, or visiting a nursing home. In fact, this is what is known as the little way, so beloved by Saint Therese the little flower. And in fact, as we read a little bit later on, we get an example of what this actually and practically looks like. Imagine that nurse who loves her work and truly cares for her patients. She wants to help each and every one of them to recover and to experience God's love during their convalescence. But what if she did work tasks with little effort and with half-heartedly perhaps, being sloppy and dispensing the medicine and not being careful about following the doctor's exact instructions? Would such actions reflect a soul that wants to glorify God? Now, the important component of holy ambition is the desire to do all your tasks to the best of your abilities.

Spiritual life does not only consist of our prayer life and outward works of charity. It consists in the totality of our lives. In fact, st Josemaria loved to quote Mark 737, where the people say of Jesus, quote he did all things well. And what particularly interested St Josemaria was the word all. Over and over. The Spanish saint emphasized the work of redemption was not confined merely to Christ's passion or even the three years of his public ministry. Instead, he insisted, the entirety of Christ's life, from his conception and his mother's wound to his ascension to his heavenly father, was redemptive. In other words, even when Christ was doing carpentry work for a neighbor, this work he offered to the Father for our salvation. Isn't that a fantastic thought Christ offering redemptive work, even not during his public ministry. Imagine that he probably learned from St Joseph how to put together a table or a chair. From St Joseph, how to put together a table or a chair. Most likely he was able to work and be apprenticed under his father, his foster father, st Joseph. Imagine how he would concentrate on making sure the table and the chairs, and the cabinet and the perhaps end table. Maybe they didn't have end tables back then, not sure. But imagine whatever carpentry work he would do, he would try to do it to the best of his ability, his human ability. Isn't that a fascinating thought.

What about us? Do we make room for God to check in on our to-do list, on our endless errands? Do we offer the smile when we're frustrated by the service worker who's not doing their job? Well, perhaps have we offered up a prayer for them to try and do it better? Do we smile when we really don't feel like smiling to try and encourage the other person? Do we not have episodes of road rage when people cut us off in the middle of the busy interstate? These are just some things to consider, because they're all impactful on how we go about our life, whether it's coding or teaching or parenting.

Your path to closeness with the divine, your path to holiness, your path to getting closer to God, is right before you. Can your workplace be your altar, your tasks, your offerings? Imagine the serenity that those thoughts bring to you. In fact, our professional work, when done for God and with God, becomes the very tool, the potent tool, for our personal sanctification. It's all about your intentionality. Your career is not just your job, it's your mission field.

So this book, holiness, is for everyone the Practical Spirituality of St Jose Maria I highly recommend. He gives us a wonderful guide on how to put all these things in practice. So in today's Mojo Minute, if today's nuggets of wisdom have sparked a flame and you share this with someone who also seeks their joy and their faith, who also seeks their joy and their faith Together, may all of us be the light in the world that is a very dark world and most especially needs that light, and then, most importantly, share this insight with our Lord. Share this insight with our Lord in prayer, who is a good, loving Father and who wants to hear from His children. Share these insights with him. Ask him how can I be better at my work, how can I be a better friend, how can I be a better parent, how can I be a better spouse? And I think, if you do, you'll find that you're on the road to holiness and you're on the road to a flourishing life. Keep fighting the good fight.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast. Be sure to check out our show page at TeamMojoAcademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.