Be Holy

May 27, 2008

Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, "Be holy because I (am) holy." 1 Peter 1:14-16

Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and (the) last will be first." Mark 10:29-31

Piety

Father, help me today to set aside time to be holy. Through my humility and obedience to a life of piety, study and action, help make me truly worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/052708.shtml

From where does holiness spring?

Without the other two legs of the tripod (study and action) we can not hope to achieve the holiness that Peter calls us to pursue in his letter today.

The ignorance Peter references is based upon our lack of knowledge of God. One danger in that is that if we do not know God, then we may end up committing immoral acts. Even if we act properly and morally, it would not be for the correct reasons.

Holiness results from our knowledge of God (study) and our love of God (action). Without the other two legs of the tripod, our actions may be for the good of the people, yet they would not enhance our holiness. Without our study, we would not have any spiritual basis for those actions.

The two virtues which will allow us to pursue holiness best are referenced in Mark’s Gospel – humility and obedience. Humility will result in us putting the needs of others before our own. Obedience will result in following the commandments that we learn from our study. If our lives are marked by those virtues, then we can truly set our “hopes completely on the grace to be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Action

Take time to be holy today. Our daily life will continue to rush passed. Alarm clocks. Commuting. Work. Phone calls. E-Mails. Appointments. How ironic that the computer program that runs many of our lives is called “Outlook.” What we need to be holy is “In Looking.” Outlook only sees the picture it wants you to see in the window. In Looking will allow you to see the bigger picture.

Being Holy takes time. Are there appointments on your calendar to be holy? Do you carve out time to be with God? To be with your community and family? To be of service to others? If we do not make this a specific choice, then we may lose the chance to pursue holiness.