St John Henry Newman described holiness in these words: “The Christian has a deep, silent, hidden peace, which the world sees not… The Christian is cheerful, easy, kind, gentle, courteous, candid, unassuming; has no pretense… with so little that is unusual or striking in his bearing, that he may easily be taken at first sight for an ordinary man”

Basically, he is saying that a person of holiness is one who seeks to be a virtuous person. The opposite of virtue is vice, which is what sin is. To grow in holiness is to strive to put sin out of our lives. To do this the person seeks to cultivate the virtues that will draw one closer to Christ. This is a conscious effort that is a response to grace. We cannot do this merely on our own will power. We need to be sustained by the strength of God's grace and love to grow in holiness. How conscious are we of seeking to live a life of virtue? What virtue do you need to focus on at this stage of your life? What can you do to make this a consistent part of your life? Start with one and then move on to another.