Holiness is Possible, Even in the Middle of Ordinary Life.

By Fr. Hau Vu, Vocations Director

As the Vocations Director, I spend my days trying to bring men and women closer to Christ. And one saint who has guided me deeply in this mission is St. Francis de Sales.

He was a bishop. A spiritual master. A brilliant mind. But what I love most about him is this, he believed ordinary people can become holy.

Not just priests.

Not just religious.

Not just people who live in monasteries.

YOU.

He taught that holiness is possible at work, at school, in family life, in the middle of daily responsibilities. And that changes everything.

The Misconception About Holiness

Many people think priests and religious are holy because they were made that way. As if we were born with something others did not receive.

HAHA, I WISH THAT WAS TRUE!... Life would be SO MUCH EASIER.

But easy does not mean fulfilling. And holiness does not come from escaping life. It comes from living it rightly.

Over time, I have realized something important. The real test of holiness is not what we do in church alone. It is how we live the ordinary parts of life, including how we rest.

YES… even how we relax.

The Three Marks of Good Recreation

At Serra House, when men and women come on Discernment Thursdays or Missionary Saturdays, we laugh. We play sports. We spend time together.

But it is not random. It is intentional.

St. Francis de Sales gives us three simple marks of good recreation.

1. Is it honest in itself?

Is what we are doing morally good, or at least morally neutral?

A walk.

A good conversation.

Uplifting music.

Sports played with charity.

A wholesome movie.

But we must also be honest with ourselves. Some recreation can slowly lead us toward sin. Gambling. Impure conversations. Inappropriate media. Content that weakens the heart.

We must ask, is this helping me grow, or is it slowly dulling my soul?

2. Is it moderate in time?

This is where many of us struggle.

We live in a culture of overindulgence. What is meant to refresh us can quietly exhaust us.

During Covid, when I was isolated at Christmas, I began watching a series, “Stranger Things.” I told myself I was sick. I had time. It was harmless.

One episode became MANY hours…

At the end, I did not feel refreshed. I felt empty. Tired. Drained.

St. Francis teaches that even honest recreation, when done excessively, becomes like work. It no longer restores. It exhausts.

And yes, after binge watching, I went and bought a large Little Caesars pizza and ate the whole thing…YES, THE WHOLE PIZZE…One excess led to another excess…And, once again, what was meant to nourish became excess. And excess left me feeling worse.

That is the spiritual logic. When we overindulge, even in good things, we end up emptier than when we began.

3. Is it light in emotional investment?

This one is subtle.

Sometimes when we are hurt, stressed, or lonely, we run to distraction. We scroll endlessly. We binge watch. We seek comfort that numbs us.

But here is the danger. We begin giving our heart to something other than God.

St. Augustine says it clearly, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Our heart was made for God alone. Nothing else can fully satisfy it.

Even sports can become unhealthy if winning controls our peace. Even entertainment can become harmful if our identity depends on it.

When recreation dominates our thoughts and steals our charity, it is no longer healthy.

What We Are Really Doing at Serra House

So when you see young people laughing, playing sports, or spending time together at Serra House, understand something.

It is not just fun and games.

We are forming hearts.

When your sons and daughters come, or when you come yourself, we are teaching something deeper. How to live holiness in ordinary life. How to rest without losing your soul. How to enjoy community without giving your heart away to the wrong things.

Serra House is more than just a House of Formation. It is what St. Francis de Sales would call an “Oratorium.” A house of prayer. A place centered on Jesus. A place where everything leads back to Him.