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July 11, 2019“What makes people holy?” my 5-year-old asks as we fold laundry.
“A special friendship with God,” I answer, without much thought to the question.
“How do they become special friends of God?” she persists.
“Well, one of the ways is by doing their duty, what God asks them to do, in each moment, and by doing it as well and as cheerfully as they can,” I answer, in part to redirect her to the task at hand.
“Oh!” she says as she works on the laundry with renewed vigor.
I too return to the task at hand with greater attention and greater love after being reminded of the eternal importance of a basketful of laundry. It’s a truth that I know, but one easy to forget as the task at hand often dominates my thoughts. The given task is, often, complex, requiring much thought. In this case: fold the laundry while giving the 3- and 5-year-olds meaningful ways to help, while keeping the 1-year-old from knocking over our work. Still, the awareness of the ultimate purpose of the task, however dim, brings with it love and joy that may otherwise be absent.
My child’s interest in developing a special friendship with God is, of course, of the utmost importance. In this case, it also changed our day. We didn’t do anything different. We still had laundry to fold. But, we approached our task in a new way, with an awareness that it was a response to God’s call in that moment. Our actions were a gift, to the other members of our family and to God. Far from being a mundane task to be gotten through, the simple act of folding laundry was essential to developing a generous, loving heart.
How often does God give us the chance to learn and re-learn an essential truth or virtue! Within the circumstances of our lives, he offers us many opportunities to grow in a special friendship with him. He is gentle with us, knowing that it can take us a long time to learn a certain truth or attain a particular virtue.
These opportunities to grow in holiness and virtue happen within the context of our lives – within our particular vocations. In our unique callings, God gives us the opportunity to develop greater sanctity and practice virtue.
For many of us, our vocation is marriage and parenthood, through which God calls us closer to him. It’s often through teaching our children that we learn for ourselves. In communicating to my child the truth that holiness requires attention to our duties, I remember it for myself. I acquire a greater degree of self-control, a keener sense of justice, and a more expansive notion of charity as I try to model the virtues for my children.
In his book “Meditations and Devotions,” Henry Newman wrote, “It is the saying of holy men that, if we wish to be perfect, we have nothing more to do than to perform the ordinary duties of the day well.”
Through the ordinary duties of the day, God offers us ample opportunity to grow in holiness and develop a special friendship with him. It’s up to us to respond.