Called to Be Holy

Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:5-7

"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”Luke 11:29-30

Piety

[L]ive soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  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 1:13-16)

Study

Christians are called to holiness.  That is – after all – the first leg of the Tripod.  That means that we are called to make our lives conform to the gifts and promises that we have already received. Just as we are forgiven before we even know the graciousness of God’s mercy, we also are “For-gifted” with the promise of redemption before we even repent and change our lives.  

This same theme united Christians in other communities Paul addressed in his letters including Corinth and Thessalonika.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. (1 COR 1:1-2)

For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. (1 Thes 4:7)

However, despite the witness of Jonah and Solomon, people ignored the prophets.  The covenant between God and Israel was portrayed as a marriage bond and unfaithfulness to the covenant as adultery. The bond was broken with regularity and with impunity. 

Jesus also rebukes the generation he encounters as an evil generation – called to change but unwilling to change. The notes to the New American Bible explain: The “sign of Jonah” in Luke is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Throughout the Synoptic Gospels, the “sign of Jonah” is interpreted by Jesus as his death and resurrection. 

Action

Americans have a Bill of Rights.  However, we do not have a corresponding Bill of Responsibilities.  Some of the duties of faithful citizenship are fairly explicit – but none are required.  We are asked to vote. We are asked to obey laws. We are asked to serve in the military.  However, to these and more, if we do not do them, there is no police force which will take us away.

Christians have a two-fold commandment to follow in response to God’s love expressed to us by the gift of His Son.  God did not wait for us to change before sending his son.  He sent his son in hopes that we would change. 

Often, we focus major changes in our spiritual life around Advent and Lent.  Now that we are slogging through the final month of ordinary time, what kinds of Lenten sacrifices can you for-gift to God for the gifts he will offer to us at Christmas and Easter?