Jacques Philippe, priest and author of multiple books, stated that "the Holiness of the 21st century is going to be the holiness of the laity and of the families." This year, Pope Francis made a call to Holiness, in his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, where he sought to promote and embody the concept of "holiness" in the current context. Holiness with all its risks, challenges and opportunities.

We need saints, priests and consecrated. It’s a fact, but everything indicates that the Holy Spirit also wants to promote the holiness of the laity, because it’s what the world needs in these times. For the new evangelization, the task of the laity is fundamental.

God chose us to be saints and irreproachable before Him, for love. (Ef 1, 3-4). Christ himself made us a clear call: "Be saints, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is holy" (Mt 5.48). The Will of God is our sanctification (1Tes 4.3). Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes it: "All the faithful are called to the fullness of the Christian Life (CIC 2028). All Christians, of any state or condition are called, each one by their own way, to the perfection of holiness.” (CIC 825).

We can all be saints, but how?

The essential thing to recognize is that God loves you with a personal love, you, your virtues and your faults. You didn't come into this world just by chance. He knows you by your first and last name. He loves you, for the simple fact of being you. Don't compare yourself to others, raise your head and look at the sky, getting there must be your goal.

I’ll give you some tips on how to be a saint:

1. Seek holiness to be a desire in your heart

The first step for being a saint is simple. Believe and trust that you can achieve that desire, because God has arranged it. Remember this quote from Moses, "and who am I for such a task?" and God answered, "I’ll be with you." (ex 3,11-15) It's not who you are, it's who you're with, and be sure God is going with you in this path.

2. Receive and accept all the love of God

He believes that Holiness does not consist in absolute perfection, nor in gaining powers that make us "superior" to others. Holiness is the ability to receive and accept all of God's love and share it. In other words, to be able to love as God loves: with fidelity, purity and generosity. To reach the holiness is by accepting with joy the will of God and the secret to achieve is: to let the grace of God act in our Life (St. Teresa of the Child Jesus). Simple: love, accept and trust.

3. Firm spirit in front of evil

Nowadays, to fight the devil is tough, a challenge for all. While we lower our guard, he takes advantage to offer us "pleasures" that, at the end of the day, will separate us from the path to divine bliss. Pope Francis assures that for this fight, Christians must stand firm in faith, and hold on to the weapons that the Lord has given us: prayer, the word, mass celebration, Eucharistic adoration, confession, charitable works, community life and mission.

In a world where more and more Christians are persecuted by their faith, the Christian life becomes a permanent struggle, in which it requires a lot of courage to remain in the gospel and proclaim it, being witnesses and apostles of the word.

4. Believe it, believe that holiness is an approachable goal

“To be holly doesn’t require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We’re 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’re all called to be holly by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. " (Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, 1) Do you want to be holly? Be a good Christian. This doesn’t mean to just believe in God, but "believing" him and his message of salvation. We’ll need to avoid everything that’ll keep us away from God, anything that offends him and others. We must seek to love God above all things. To think of loving and doing everything with love and for love, to turn our actions into pleasing works to God.

In this process, prayer is an extremely important element. We recognize that holiness is not improvised, nor is it achieved from one day to the next, it is a path, with its battles and stumbles, which requires a great personal effort, by the hand of God and prayer. Also, to accept the help God wants to give you through Mary. She is the perfect example of holiness. Invite her in your life, to live the process with you and you will feel her guide.

Finally, remember that being holly is synonymous with going backset, the Bible emphasizes: «If you have decided to serve the Lord, prepare for the test» (Eclo Keith 2.1). But remember that fullness is achieved only by reaching your true purpose, the one you were created for which, without doubt, is to be holy. So, cling, for the latter is in God!