The Holy Life 

   “Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of you former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1: 13 – 16) 

   We are called to be holy, to reject the lures and pretenses of this world and seek the will of the Father in our life.  We cannot do this on our own, by our works or desires or even our prayers.  Only God can make us Holy, it is up to us to submit ourselves to His will and seek the holiness He wants to bestow upon on.

   When I made my promises as a Benedictine Oblate one of the things I promised was to seek Christian perfection in my life.  Perfection is unattainable in this life but seeking it in all I do will bring me closer to God than most anything else that I can do.  Having such perfection as my goal encourages me to do all that I can to progress toward that goal.

   In the spiritual life we must continue to move forward, otherwise we fall back.  There can be no complacency, no thought that I’ve done all I need do and can now relax.  The holy life is exactly what the name implies, a way of life, not a part-time endeavor.  The journey may be difficult at times, but it is the only path to God’s heavenly kingdom.

   Holiness is our destiny; it is why we were created.  Though we cannot achieve holiness on our own, we must trust in the words of Christ, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18: 27).  With His help we can do all things.