Holiness is not perfectionist narcissism

Moral perfectionism looks like generous dedication: you examine every detail and want to eliminate every weakness as quickly as possible. But the center can still be an impeccable image of yourself. Holiness seeks to love, not to admire itself. That is why it accepts real limits, asks for grace, repairs harm, and continues without turning every fall into an identity crisis. Attention turns away from the mirror toward the concrete good. This does not lower the struggle or celebrate mediocrity. It changes its motive and its measure. Instead of only asking, "Did I do it perfectly?", you ask, "Whom did I love, and what must I correct?". A holy life can contain acknowledged faults; what it cannot keep is the decision to live turned in on itself.