There has been this idea that being Holy is completely out of reach and only for a chosen few. St. Ignatius has been teaching me that this is a misunderstood concept. He teaches that to be Holy is to be Whole. To practice Spirituality in the everyday moments of life. In this way, you see God, or Divinity in all that you do. You become One with the Universe. One with Creation. You are Whole.
Have you ever stopped to really read the lives of any of the Saints? From a practical perspective, they were really messed up individuals! Think about it. There is St. Ignatius who was rich and gave up the cushy life to live simply. How about Saint Joan of Arc, a teenager who led an army into battle because St. Catherine (who was already dead) told her to. Saint Francis would be considered crazy because he spoke to animals. With this track record, who would want to be called a Saint? I think this is where it gets interesting.
Every Saint I've read about has had Holes in their Holiness and in their lives, which would lead one to believe they were not Whole at all. Nothing about them makes any sense or gives one any indication of being a totally balanced individual. In this way, we are all Saints. We are all called to plug the Holes with God, yet because of our humanity, that is near impossible. We are taught that Jesus and Buddha did it. I'm sure there is a list of Masters that have done it. And, then, there is us. What if these Masters are Masters because they saw their own holes, their own humanity and made peace with it?
What if crazy is the criteria for Sainthood? For salvation? We are spending so much time following the rules, the norms, the expectations of others... What if to be a Saint means doing what you want, what you think, saying it, living it and knowing it's God?
What if we are Holy because of our Holes? Our humanity. What if Whole means to be a Hole in which All of Creation fills you?
Are you WHoley?
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