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Recently, a priest I know commented on the boring and sad faces he sometimes sees when he takes a look at the congregation during mass. And he joked, saying: "Some people say that with the Vatican they took the statues of the churches, but they are still here ... in the banks!".

He also pointed out a very serious reality. In other words, external religious practices are not always translated into internal transformation, peace, joy and holiness.

There is no secret formula for the sanctity of the inner life, just as there is no infallible recipe for perfection in marriage, friendship or any other type of relationship.

Without a doubt, there are "good practices" that are crucial for holiness (that is, the Mass, the sacraments, prayer, the rosary, etc.). But to truly find a union with God, one must also intentionally cultivate and maintain an inner relationship with Him.

The ways of being united to God

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Hear:

When we listen to God, we put ourselves in his presence. Pope Francis wrote that when a person listens to God, he finds a place to be under the Lord's gaze. Union with God begins with placing ourselves under the loving gaze of our Father and listening attentively to his words.

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Tenacious courage:

Cultivating a spiritual inner life is very difficult. It is easier and less painful to live our lives from the surface that chooses to submerge us in the depths. But it is also much less rewarding. Pope Francis wrote that it takes a "tenacious courage" for anyone who wants to "embark on the inner journey that leads us through the shadows of sin to the last last".

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Will of effort:

St. Francis de Sales told someone once that he worked on his resolution of meekness for 20 years and his resolution of humility during 21. Our spiritual lives demand commitment, desire, work and continuous effort. If we want to grow closer to God we have to get up again and again and not tire of fighting.

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Be in constant search of God:

We can easily lose sight of God in the bustle of our lives. Even Mary and Joseph lost Jesus in the chaos of Jerusalem. The growth in the inner life consists of seeking Jesus in those inevitable moments when we lose him. To achieve this, we have to ask ourselves regularly: "Have I lost Jesus? What can I do in the next few days to find him? "

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Humility:

A person who acts with humility does not have superiority complexes, nor does he need to be constantly reminding others of his successes and achievements; much less uses them to trample people around them. In this sense, humility is a value opposed to pride.

Those who work with humility do not boast about their actions: they reject ostentatiousness, arrogance and pride, preferring to exercise values ​​such as modesty, sobriety and moderation.

Humility is a human quality independent of the economic or social position: a humble person does not pretend to be above or below anyone, but knows that we are all equal, and our existence has the same degree of dignity. Hence, being humble does not imply letting oneself be humiliated, because humility does not imply a renunciation of one's dignity as persons.