Wholiness™ 101

Holey, Wholly, Holy

“Holy, holy, holy . . . ” Sound familiar? What about holey, wholly, holy? Have you ever looked at this simple phrase with such depth?

We hear this phrase during every Mass as we praise our Lord for His goodness and holiness. God calls us to holiness, too. How can we achieve it?

Begin with Your Holes

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all checklist or easy step-by-step guide for how to become holy. However, we can all start this journey by looking at one thing in particular: our holes.

All of us have areas in our lives that are broken and in need of Christ's healing. Whether that is disordered eating, laziness in prayer, mental or physical suffering, or any other hardship, these holes need to be reformed in Christ for us to take the next step towards giving our whole selves to Him. 

To let Jesus into these holes, be vulnerable with Him. Allow Him to see you in your messiness, in your pain, in your struggle—and let Him love you right where you are. As you tell Jesus about the parts of your heart that are hurting, His gentle touch can begin to expose these holes and bring Him intimately close to you.

Fill in the Holes (Become Whole!)

When we expose our areas of weakness and brokenness to our Lord, we give Him permission to take care of the next step: making us whole. Jesus looks at us with compassion, and He fills those holes with His love and mercy. Jesus does not want us to just simply survive; He wants us to thrive. He knows that for us to grow in holiness and share His love, we need to be made whole in Him, and overflow with His grace. 

“But aren’t we supposed to suffer?” you may ask. The Christian life does involve picking up our crosses and following our Lord to Calvary. But we can still be whole and carry our crosses. Think of our Blessed Mother! Mary suffered greatly in her life, but she was whole. She was filled with grace and love from Our Lord, and she was made whole in that. Letting Jesus into our holes can allow us to leave behind our brokenness, while also picking up any of the crosses Jesus lays out for us. With Christ guiding us, He can heal our wounds and resurrect the places that are dead. Just as Jesus rose on Sunday after Good Friday, Jesus wants to resurrect all of the wounds in your heart and make you whole! 

Wholly to Holy

Finally, we’ve reached the final part: holiness. In exposing our wounds and letting Christ heal them, we are being reformed and sanctified in His love. Now that you are being made whole in Christ, He can give you the grace to continue your journey towards heaven.

When living out (w)holiness™, Jesus can take us into new depths of His heart. He brings us intimately close to Him, and we are free to respond in love. Isn’t that what the Christian life is all about? Christianity is a response to Christ’s love for us. When we are intimate with our Lord and give Him everything (even the messy parts), we are able to grow closer to Him. From here, Christ will take us on a beautiful adventure of the Christian life. Being made whole allows us to receive Christ’s love for us and be filled with His grace. 

The Journey to (W)holiness™

Just as everyone is called to holiness, everyone is also called to wholeness. Wholeness and holiness go hand-in-hand: being fulfilled and made whole in Christ allows us to freely accept and overflow with His love and mercy. Jesus wants our areas of brokenness to be healed. He wants you to let Him heal you. Are you ready to start your journey to (w)holiness™? 

Yes, it is difficult to be intimate with Christ, especially in the broken areas. But there is a community here to support you! Our foundational class Reform Online will not only give you the tools and lessons to accompany you on your journey to (w)holiness™, but most importantly offers a community rooted in Christ. Through this course, you can start to recognize your holes and ultimately bring them to Jesus. If you want to learn more, register for our upcoming webinar.

If you aren’t ready to take this step, there are several other ways to find fellowship with Reform through free webinars, community prayer, and more. Just take a look at our calendar to see all of the opportunities to get involved! You can even represent your journey to (w)holiness™ with this crewneck and invite others to ask questions and learn about how they can strive for (w)holiness™, too.

Are you ready to start your journey?