The concept of holiness which I had formed and applied to myself was mistaken

“Practical experience has now convinced me of this: the concept of holiness which I had formed and applied to myself was mistaken. In every one of my actions, and in the little failings of which I was immediately aware, I used to call to mind the image of some saint whom I had set myself to imitate down to the smallest particular, as a painter makes an exact copy of a picture by Raphael. I used to say to myself: in this case St. Aloysius would have done so and so, or: he would not do this or that.

However, it turned out that I was never able to achieve that I thought I could do, and this worried me. The method was wrong. From the saints I must take the substance, not the accidents of their virtues. I am not St. Aloysius, nor must I seek holiness in his particular way, but according to the requirements of my own nature, my own character, and the different conditions of my life. I must not be the dry, bloodless reproduction of a model, however perfect…If St. Aloysius had been as I am, he would have become holy in a different way.”

Pope John XXIII, Journal of a Soul: The Autobiography of Pope John XXIII, January 16, 1903

Good words from a Pope – be yourself, in matters of holiness as well as in other things. I think it’s useful to ask yourself at times, “What would Aloysius do?” (if that’s a saint you are drawn to emulate), so long as you can remember that, in the final analysis, you aren’t Aloysius. This warning may be applicable to that other popular question, “What would Jesus do?” Good question to ask, so long as you can keep in mind the fact that you aren’t Jesus.