We know that St. Joan of Arc fought in battle, Blessed Miguel Pro took bullets for the Lord, St. Maximilian endured torture and starvation with a smile, and St. Gianna Molla gave up her life for her child. We've heard the stories...and there are so many left untold.
Many of us have been blessed to see them with our own eyes - modern saints who bear no fancy title - suffering souls who love even their torment for the sake of Christ and His children.
Every story is different, somehow the same, and meant as a model for our imitiation and aim. The lives of the saints paint an unparalleled story of heroism and holiness. We cannot do exactly what they did, because we are here and now, and remain with a mission as unique in God's plan as ever theirs was. But, somehow, imitation is a duty, and happiness is the craving of our heart, and so we must seriously ask ourselves: What, then, is holiness? What does it look like? And upon discovery, in pursuit of Him who loved us first, we must continue the query: How do we attain it? What should be our focus?
Now, no one goes to a gardener to heal a broken leg, so we now turn to one "doctor" of the soul guidance, answers, and a prayer.
What is holiness? The substance is to love God unto heroism.
What is its the distinctive sign? The fulfillment of the will of God.
Where is this Will to be found? It is contained above all in the commandments of God and the Church, and in the duties of ones state in life.
How? The means is the constant vigilance over oneself, with the end of knowing one's defects and uprooting them, to graft virtues, to cultivate them, and develop them unto the highest degree.
What is the most important thing on this journey? Prayer, with which the soul procures supernatural divine grace, is indispensable to spiritual progress. In all the saints, prayer occupies a prominent place.
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