Holiness is important because it is our original calling as God’s children: “Be holy because I [God] am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). All of us are called to be holy. All of us are called to be saints. God calls each one to holiness; he asks each one to love him: young and old, single or married, healthy and sick, learned and unlearned, no matter where they work, or where they are. Holiness is the original vocation of all the baptized.
Pope Francis affirmed that “all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord – each in his or her own way – to that perfect holiness by which the Father himself is perfect” (Gaudete et Exsultate, 10). He encourages each person to respond to his or her own call to holiness. According to the Holy Father, God does not call everyone anonymously and generically, rather he extends a personal call to each person. “To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest, or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love, and bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves. [….] Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus” (ibid., 14). To respond to the call to holiness, therefore, it is important “… that each believer discern his or her own path, that they bring out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts God has placed in their hearts…” (ibid., 11).
The Pope also added that holiness “will grow through small gestures.” An example: “A woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbor, and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. But she says in her heart: ‘No, I will not speak badly of anyone.’ This is a step forward to holiness. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love…” (ibid., 16). Pope Francis is clearly explaining to us that through simple acts of love in our ordinary daily lives, we can grow to be how God calls us to be – to be holy. As the Pope said, “Every minute of our lives can be a step along the path to grow in holiness.”
For us who strive to live the Ideal of unity and love, we understand that we cannot be holy only on our own. The way to holiness is the way of love. Chiara Lubich always encouraged us to “become saints together”: “The Lord doesn’t ask us for an individual holiness, but for a communitarian holiness in which each of us must help our neighbor to become a saint. Then our neighbor will do likewise with his or her neighbor, as in a chain reaction. This is the kind of holiness that could be verified and highlighted someday for the edification of many in the Church: a collective holiness, a holiness of the people. Isn’t it wonderful?” (Chiara Lubich, Conference call, August 27, 1998).
No, it is not enough that we follow the 10 commandments for us to be saints.
This question on what it means to be holy reminds me of an incident in the life of Jesus recounted by St. Mark in his Gospel (Mark 10:17-31). It was his encounter with a rich young man. The young man was a spiritual person. He asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. He was genuinely interested in growing closer to God. He had kept all the commandments from his youth. The rich young man had already fulfilled all the elementary requirements. He was a decent person who had honored his parents, hadn’t killed anybody, and would never think of stealing another person’s goods or spouse.
Jesus decided to help this rich young man to get honest with himself, for he could see into the man’s heart. He looked steadily at him and was filled with love for him. The young fellow was already living a good life, but Jesus had much more in mind for him. Jesus knew that he was capable of achieving even greater heights of holiness, so Jesus invited him to raise his goal, “You are lacking in one thing” (Mark 10:21). Then Jesus gave the young man the challenge: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21).
Sadly, the young man was unwilling to make this sacrifice and went away sad. He wanted God as a part of his life. But he wasn’t ready to give God control of his life, to abandon himself completely to Him, to find his whole identity and security in the Lord. His affluence provided him with a level of comfort and prominence that he had learned to depend on. It was just too scary to let go of that.
To be holy, to be saints, we need to go beyond following rules and regulations. The only sure path to holiness is love. And love means being able to give everything up for the Beloved. Yes, those who give up precious relationships and possessions to follow Jesus will encounter hardship and persecution. But they will also receive, even in this life, infinitely more than they give up, and in the age to come, everlasting life.
One of Chiara Lubich’s first followers, Fede (Giorgio Marchetti), reflecting on this Gospel passage, wrote: “What God expects of us, more than the great acts of virtue or heroic deeds, and even more than a scrupulous fidelity to his teachings, is our love for him, overflowing to men.” Here we are reminded of the Lord’s new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
Fr. Rolando Garcia Jr.
