Holiness can get a bad reputation. It can feel intimidating, seeing it as something out of reach. Others may see it as unappealing, a life of extreme self-sacrifice that involves a whole lot of suffering. And others might see it as self-righteous, picturing those who are  “holier than thou”.  

So what does it really mean? What is God asking when He tells us to pursue holiness? And is He calling everyone? 

In the Bible, things are called “holy” when they are set apart for God’s purposes. This includes places (eg. the ground where Moses saw the burning bush, or the sanctuary of the temple of the Lord) and things (eg. sacrifices, the Ark of the Covenant, the Sabbath, etc.). 

Similarly, “holiness" is used to describe people who are uniquely devoted to God’s purposes. God chooses Israel from among the nations to be a “holy people” (cf. Deut 7:6). God’s prophets are called holy, and Peter exhorts us to be holy like the one who called us (1 Pet 1:15).

So holiness is being God’s. But maybe a distinction between holy people vs. holy things is that holy people aren’t just for God, they are of God. In other words, they are God-like; their lives tell us something about God and remind us of Him.  

Becoming like God comes down to how you see God. If God is to you like a distant authoritarian, or a harsh judge, then being God-like won’t sound too appealing. But if you believe God is love, you will seek to be as love-like as possible. You will want to be holy. 

The Catechism tells us that holiness is appealing and for everyone.

"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.” All are called to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (CCC 2013)

But who can achieve perfection? Luckily the same paragraph goes on:

“In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints.” (CCC 2013)

The faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ’s gift. Whenever it seems that the Church is calling us to something too lofty, it’s important to recall that Jesus gives us strength for whatever He calls us to and grace to do it. It’s in our weakness that His power is made perfect. 

And when we look to the saints and to other Christians we can see so many examples of people who, by God’s grace, overcome barriers and poured out their lives for others. They became Christ-like. They became God-like. 

So how do we seek holiness? There’s a motto that says, “you are what you eat.” If you want to be more like God, fill yourself with Him. Spend time with Him. Read His word. Speak to Him. Talk with others about Him. Receive the gifts (sacraments) God offers us. 

Make a daily commitment to make God your first priority, and you will be setting yourself apart for Him and become more like Him.  

“I see the holiness in the patience of the people of God: a woman who is raising children, a man who works to bring home the bread, the sick, the elderly priests who have so many wounds but have a smile on their faces because they served the Lord, the sisters who work hard and live a hidden sanctity. This is for me the common sanctity. I often associate sanctity with patience: not only patience as hypomoné [the New Testament Greek word], taking charge of the events and circumstances of life, but also as a constancy in going forward, day by day. This is the sanctity of the militant church also mentioned by St. Ignatius. This was the sanctity of my parents: my dad, my mom, my grandmother Rosa who loved me so much.” (Pope Francis, interview in America)

Holiness is for you and for me. Let’s use the strength of Christ’s gift to seek it.  

If you’d like to dive deeper into this topic, we recommend reading Pope Francis’ recent exhortation on holiness (“Rejoice and Be Glad”).

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