The Surprising Power of the Ordinary (1)
Holiness in daily life—precisely because it’s ordinary
A Morning Invitation
I once heard someone say, with half a laugh, “If God were truly involved in my life, my mornings would be a lot more impressive.” It struck me how often we regard the holy or the sacred as something far-removed from our mundane routines, especially those bleary-eyed minutes before coffee. Yet, if the Christian tradition—particularly the insights of authors like Pieter Vos—is right, God’s presence is just as real when we’re rushing out the door as it is in a glorious cathedral. This begs the question: If our days are so ordinary, how can they ever be holy?
Finding Glory in the Everyday
The protestant theologian Pieter Vos proposes a remarkably simple (yet often overlooked) premise: holiness emerges from the small gestures that fill our daily lives. The handshake you offer a neighbour. The sandwich you make for a loved one. The moments you hold your tongue instead of speaking ill of someone. In each of these “trivial” acts, a space can open for goodness and virtue to flourish.
It’s a reminder that real sanctity isn’t always accompanied by heroic fanfare. Indeed, large feats may inspire headlines, but they don’t always forge a deep, sustaining change. True holiness, according to this view, is intertwined with fidelity to the ordinary. It’s found in concrete acts of love, quiet perseverance, and a willingness to embrace the grace hidden in the humdrum of the day.
Confirmation from the Catholic Tradition
In Catholic thought, this idea is echoed by the Second Vatican Council and Pope Francis, who have repeatedly stressed the universal call to holiness. They insist it’s not reserved for religious professionals or mystics, but for everyone who strives to live with integrity and love. Think of Pope Francis’s images of holiness in his exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate: “Holiness grows through small gestures,” he writes, “through our daily routines, in the midst of everyday situations.”
What seems revolutionary here is the claim that everyday holiness is not second-best. It’s the path. It’s not “holiness lite,” it’s the normal route for most of us.
Why It Matters
When we grasp this vision, we begin to see that even our shortcomings and failures become chances for grace to break in. The quiet decision to forgive or the moment we stop ourselves from joining the latest gossip—these matter. And they matter because it’s often in the hidden details that our character is forged.
In a society obsessed with glamour and visibility, the ordinary can feel small, even disappointing. Yet the subtle wisdom of Vos and Catholic voices tells us that this realm of the ordinary is precisely where the seeds of transformation are planted.
A Personal Invitation
Try noticing those moments in your routine today that you usually gloss over. Which of them could be an opening for compassion? For a micro-moment of grace? By cherishing the ordinary instead of fleeing from it, we might discover that the mundane is charged with the presence of God—and that, in the end, is anything but small.
This is the first of 3 reflections on virtue and everyday holiness, based on a lecture that brother Richard gave on the occasion of presentation of the Dutch edition of Pieter Vos’ book on Protestant Virtue ethics in March 2025.
Picture: RAJS (2024)