Increase in holiness by making time for your children, says bishop

The Bishop of Shrewsbury has suggested practical ways of treading the path to holiness, including making time for our children and for prayer even when we feel exhausted.

In a pastoral letter to his parish to mark the beginning of Advent, Bishop Mark Davies said: “Making time for prayer each day even when we are tired: this is a sure step towards holiness. Being ready for Mass on Sunday, and at times making a good Confession, which ‘cleans us up’ Pope Francis says, these are vital steps towards holiness. He adds that thinking of Our Lady, the Pope says, ‘so good, so beautiful’ and taking up the rosary to pray, this is yet another step towards holiness.

“Meeting someone in need, making time and being willing to help are real steps towards becoming the saint we are called to be.”

The bishop said that, as Pope Francis points out, “avoiding malicious gossip in a conversation is a definite step towards becoming a saint”. He added: “[Being] exhausted after a hard day’s work but being willing to sit down with your children and listen patiently to them, this too can be a step towards holiness.”

The bishop concluded: “In other words the call to holiness is not found up in the clouds or in our dreams. The call to become a saint is right in front of us every day!”

The dioceses and religious congregations are celebrating the start of the Year for Consecrated Life. The Year will be celebrated with Mass at Westminster Cathedral and St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham, this Saturday.

Bishop Davies said that 2015 must be a year for priestly vocations.

In his pastoral letter he said: “Pope Francis invites us to mark 2015 as a ‘Year for Consecrated Life’ celebrating the witness of so many Religious Communities of men and women. The Holy Father has also placed the vocation of Marriage at the heart of his concerns, inviting us to reflect on the great vocation of the family in preparation for the Synod of Bishops next October.

“Our own Shrewsbury diocese next year will see the opening of a new initiative at the cathedral which will allow young men to consider the vocation to the priesthood in a one-year programme. We have recently adopted a different pastoral theme each year to remind us of a particular aspect of our faith and help us deepen our spiritual lives. It seems clear to me in the light of these events, the catechetical theme for 2015 must be a ‘Year for Vocations’.”