Summary of How to be Holy: A Festooning of Abandonment to Divine Providence by Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft’s How to Be Holy: A Festooning of Abandonment to Divine Providence is not your typical self-help manual on holiness. As Kreeft himself humbly puts it, “This book is not a great chef serving up a gourmet dinner; it is one desperately poor bum telling another where there’s free food… I’m about as close to being a saint as I am being a salamander.” Kreeft’s refreshingly down-to-earth approach makes the lofty goal of holiness feel surprisingly accessible. With his characteristic wit and wisdom, Kreeft guides readers through the heart of sanctity: complete abandonment to Divine Providence.

Romans 8:28: The Cornerstone of Holiness

At the center of Kreeft’s exploration of holiness is Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good for those who love God.” Kreeft acknowledges this verse as one of the most challenging in the Bible because it seems “too good to be true.” He argues that the verse doesn’t suggest that everything in life is inherently good—citing Auschwitz, Hiroshima, and ISIS as stark counterexamples—but that God’s omnipotence, omnibenevolence, and omniscience can bring good even from evil.

These three divine attributes—God’s infinite goodness, power, and wisdom—are, according to Kreeft, the bedrock of trusting in Divine Providence. Without belief in these truths, “the true God disappears and all the false gods, all the idols, reappear, from Zeus to Baal.” Embracing these attributes and the promise of Romans 8:28, Kreeft argues, is transformative, providing the “necessary source of the active choice to be holy.”

Kreeft asserts, “A bad God, a weak God, or a stupid God is not God and cannot merit, demand, or receive that total trust, that ‘abandonment,’ which is the point of this book and the road to holiness.” For Kreeft, accepting the truth of Romans 8:28 is crucial to living a life of holiness.

The Practice of Abandonment

At the heart of How to Be Holy is the call to “abandonment to Divine Providence,” a concept Kreeft describes as an active, freely chosen receptivity. It’s not a passive resignation but an engaged trust, similar to how a catcher in baseball is fully attentive to the pitch coming their way. True abandonment, Kreeft explains, involves a deep trust in God’s will, recognizing that “all things work together for good” because God’s will is always for our ultimate good.

Kreeft also introduces the concept of “the sacrament of the present moment,” inspired by Brother Lawrence’s idea of “the practice of the presence of God.” By focusing on God’s presence in every moment, we begin to see each moment as an opportunity for holiness. This practice is akin to a foretaste of the Beatific Vision, the ultimate goal of the Christian life. Kreeft encourages readers to view every moment as holy because it is filled with God’s presence, and to respond with trust and love.

Daily Holiness in the “Grind”

While grand acts of heroism are often celebrated, Kreeft emphasizes that true holiness is found in the small, daily acts of love and obedience. He draws on the wisdom of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who said, “I have no other means of proving my love for you than that of . . . profiting by all the smallest things and doing them through love.” Kreeft argues that while “spectacular heroism, even martyrdom, is easy,” it’s in the “daily grind” that our holiness is truly tested and formed.

The present moment, Kreeft insists, is where holiness happens. The past is gone, the future is yet to come, but the present is where God meets us. He challenges readers to “enter eternity by dealing, at this present moment, with the eternal and therefore present God right now.”

The Call to Action

Kreeft’s How to Be Holy is a clear and compelling invitation to embrace holiness as an achievable and practical goal. It involves trusting in God’s providence, practicing His presence in every moment, and embracing the daily opportunities for sanctity that God provides. Kreeft concludes with a powerful call to action: “Give yourself, your whole self, to God right now, at this present moment, irrevocably and completely and forever.” Holiness, he insists, begins now, in the present moment.

Kreeft’s candid style, deep theological insight, and practical advice make How to Be Holy a transformative read for anyone seeking to grow in holiness by embracing the truth of Romans 8:28 and surrendering to Divine Providence.

“He is knocking right now, at this exact present moment, at the door of your life, of your life’s time; and that door is the present moment. Open the door of your heart and your life to Him now. (The door to your life is your heart.) Now!”

“Bottom line: If this is all true (and you know it is), then just give yourself, your whole self, to God right now, at this present moment, irrevocably and completely and forever. For there is no other time than right now to do it. No, don’t just read about it. Don’t go from paragraph to paragraph like a hamster on a wheel. Stop the wheel and get off. Enter eternity by dealing, at this present moment, with the eternal and therefore present God right now. In other words, in a single word, pray.”