A fourth help in the process of finding the right path that leads to holiness, is the community of disciples. We can get feedback from the people on the journey with us, especially from a spiritual guide or friend. If we have someone who cares for us, knows us and is honest with us, that person can give us feedback on the decision we are considering or on the course of action we have been following. If we have a friend who has had to make the same or a similar decision and is willing to share what worked and what didn’t work, we are very fortunate. If our spiritual friend is learned, he or she can suggest various options that we may not have considered. What we do not need in making decisions is someone who tells us what we are supposed to do or not to do. It is not easy to trust another with our secrets. It is very easy to think that our problems and choices are unique, but when we do find a person or a small group with whom we can be honest, we find that our problems are both unique and common.

Universal Call to Holiness

One of the problems in our modern world is that we don’t necessarily talk about religion with others, even our best friends. Another problem that seems to be rampant in our modern world is the ability to trust others.

Trust seems to be difficult to establish in our modern world because trust can make us vulnerable. Not only do we dislike the feeling of vulnerability, we know that we are vulnerable to being hurt. And yet the reality is this: if we can’t learn to trust, which is only done in the present moment with real persons, we can never really learn to trust God.

Learning how to take the risk to trust others helps us to develop the ability to trust God. I know that people don’t like to hear this and want to assert that they trust God but don’t trust other human beings. This is really and truly impossible. If you can’t trust people who you see, what makes you think that you can trust someone, even a God, who you cannot see.

So this is one of the challenges that face us as we journey through life. O God, help us learn to trust!