Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 - Tuesday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
[1 Peter 1:10-16 and Mark 10:28-31]Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, live 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."
What do you think of when the word, "holy," or "holiness" is mentioned? Do you think of it in regard to yourself? Most people would probably say, "No, I don't think so!" No matter which answer you give, I, for one, would want to know what your understanding of those words is! So many people associate it with a state of "sinlessness" and halos around the head, etc. etc. Even a casual reading of the New Testament would reveal that people whom we consider to be saints had their good days and bad days. The apostles are Exhibit A. It is well known that there is currently a considerable demand for trained spiritual directors in the church here in the USA.. Many people are seeking a "closer" relationship with God. Often they are not quite sure WHAT it is that they are seeking - only that their current state of spiritual being is not what they want it to be. Sometimes what they are looking for is not very realistic given their backgrounds and understanding of how God works. Sometimes they are very close to God but don't realize it. I often ask such folks to describe to me what things would be like if they had the relationship to God that they want! What is that MORE that they are seeking? How would that MORE impact the way they make decisions and act in regard to other people? What is the history of their relationship to God? To the church? To other people? Holiness comes about through an attentive and intentional relationship to God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. However there must be an integrity to this holiness which includes loving one's neighbor. As the First Letter of John states, "the one who says they love God, whom they cannot see, and hates their neighbor whom they can see, is a liar!" An honest self-appraisal with a competent spiritual director is a good thing. But a good spiritual life really depends on being faithful to God, to Church, to neighbor on a consistent and intentional basis. You may be as holy as you need to be! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
62 ms
4
