Growing up as a Protestant gave me a
different view on what it means to be Holy than I have now, though I
believe it still influences me in that respect. My primary example
of what I believed was a Holy Man would have to be, and still is in
many ways, my grandfather. My grandfather was an old regular Baptist
preacher and truly tried to live his life for Christ. He didn't
allow many things in his home, from Biology books to “playing
cards.” His way of life revolved around Sacred Scripture. He truly
tried to set himself apart from the ways of the world.
I think that that in and of itself is a
beautiful thing. The word itself, Holy, has roots that point to
being set apart, being different. The Old Testament is filled with
an example of how that God truly wanted his people to stand out, to
be different than those around them. Holiness then rightfully boils
down to one statement, though it is not limited to only it in anyway.
I will take you as my own people, and you shall have me as your
God. (Exodus 6:7) That is how I understand those 613
commandments presented in the Tanakh, as an example of how that the
ancient Israelites understood they should behave in that
relationship.
The Jubilee years, the Sabbath, the
great Jubilee.. all intimate a way for us to do just that. Not only
to reflect the extremely personal relationship that they were in with
their deity, but also to allow them to do so in a way that reflected
who He was. In sharing in His merciful outpouring of grace and
forgiveness, they were able to be more like Him. That to me speaks
volumes. That God, who did not need rest, allowed us to be able to
not only take a rest when we frail humans needed one, but also be
able to be more divine in our actions by doing so.
Then the Father took this even further
by sending his Son to take on human flesh. By God becoming man he
sanctified a way of life. Then speaking in His own words from the
sermon on the mount he portrayed to us that propriety in a fullness
that expresses what it means to be fully human. God has given us a
path through the Beatitudes that exemplifies a paradigm that would
change the world if embraced by all people. A paradigm that is best
expressed by Jesus himself on the cross. Saint Thomas Aquinas in his
eloquent method of speaking expounded on the four spheres of
influence that tend to lead to sin. Power, Wealth, Pleasure, and
Honor. He surmised that all sin is rooted in one or more of these
temptations. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes as a perfect antidote to
those spheres, then he lived them out on the cross. As a man on the
cross he had no power, he was nailed in place. He had no wealth as
they gambled for his clothing on the ground below. He had not
pleasure but pain and discomfort. He had no honor but rather the
death reserved for the most heinous of all criminals.
In today's society it seems that to be
holy is seen as someone who simply attends church regularly, is a
'good' person, and doesn't judge others. To me, being holy has
become something even more profound, that is to be more like Christ
himself. We should be different, we should be a peculiar and a
particular people. Not because we want to be, but because Christ
calls us to a radical separation from the world in our manor and
behavior. He calls us to Sainthood and a level of perfection that is
only possible through releasing control of ourselves to the Holy
Spirit. My Grandfather had a powerful idea of how to express that in
his conduct and activity, but I disagree with some of his methods.
That's truly the crux of the issue. To be holy means to be
configured to Christ in our actions and our lives. That might look
very different than how the ancient Israelites did it, and in fact it
might look different based on our different vocations and stations of
life, but it is a calling that every single Christian is called to.
It does not mean that we will be perfect or immaculate, but will
actualize perfection via a Sacramental life.
