Monks, mystics, hermits and the like may seem to say that holiness means setting oneself apart from the world, it's temptations, trials and troubles. In the desert wastelands, river valleys, lakesides, forests and mountain tops men and women have experienced God and come to know their selves and calls. But not so for the rest of us. We are called to be in, not of, the world. To be sure we are holy when we choose God and not ourselves and sinful desires. Being relatively sin-free is a worthy aim and no doubt a noteworthy accomplishment. But this is only a beginning and not the end of what is actual and authentic holiness. Nor is holiness something we put on and take off like brocaded vestments or religious jewelry. Neither is it restricted to churches and cathedrals.
Jesus Christ calls us salt and light. We are to make a difference in the lives of family, friends, and strangers by our words, with our actions, in our example, through our efforts. Words in a Jewish Prayer book remind us how and when we find holiness: There is holiness when we ... strive to be true to the best we know; are kind to someone who cannot possibly repay us; promote family harmony; forget what divides us and remember what unites us; we love -- truly, honestly, and unselfishly; we remember the lonely and bring light where it is dark; share -- our bread, our ideas, our enthusiasms; gather to pray to God who gave us the power to pray: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts; all of life can be filled with God's glory.
~ Father Paul Wharton (and Likrat Shabbat)
