4th Easter - Universal Call to Holiness

What is the goal of marriage? Kind of an odd question, but still relevant to married couples, to all people, and to this gospel.  The goal of marriage is, well it is the goal to everything.  The goal of marriage, to priesthood and religious life, to life for everyone, is holiness.

In Church language, we call this the Universal call to Holiness. Every human person has this call, this capacity to be holy. It is the human Vocation to be holy.  

Now, holiness is not being a super pious, do gooder, necessarily. Holiness means to be and live the person God created us to be. God created us as good, and holiness means expressing that goodness, within the context of our own lives.

Let’s do some simple school physics. Think of some kind of wind-up toy. We crank it up and a spring inside gets tighter and tighter. This tightness in the spring is its potential energy. It stays potential as long as the spring is locked. When the spring gets unlocked, or triggered open, that Potential energy is released and becomes Kinetic energy, the toy moves, flies, whatever.

We humans have so much potential for good within us. God placed it there; God created us, and all humans persons, in fact everything with Goodness. We all have potential. Holiness is that kinetic energy, the goodness unleashed and made real in our lives. Jesus and the Holy Spirit unlock that energy, that potential energy within, so that we can live it.

And Jesus shows us how goodness is made real and visible. It is by giving of ourselves for others, so that their goodness can shine. It is by accepting the goodness of others, giving them the ability to do good.

It is through healing other people and letting ourselves be healed. It is giving compassion, kindness, mercy; it is treating this world and all of creation with respect and care; it is listening to others, not judging.

It means living as Jesus lived.

This is why we call him our shepherd, our gatekeeper; he helps us to realize, to live out our inherent goodness. He reveals our potential.  He brings to our potential.

Now, why would we want to be good; to live our lives as holy women and men; as holy husbands and wives, as religious?

It means that we will fully be alive! We will have life and have it completely. Which God wishes for us.

Study after study, and even anecdotally, we know that when people live for each other; live out that goodness, live in harmony with that goodness within them and others; they experience joy. Their marriages are stronger; their families are stronger; our community becomes better. They are healthier, able to cope with stress. There is joy.

These are the Saints.

Joyful people will be found where there is truly love, truly giving of self for others. The joy filled marriages I see are those husbands and wives that communicate with each other; truly see the good in the other; walk with each other.

Joy filled priests and nuns are those who also communicate and serve their people, not expecting to be taken care of, not making demands; but the ones who give.

I have seen joy filled people down at Catholic Charities; helping in RCIA, CRE. Youth Ministry, Snows Women Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus I have chatted with others that glow as they talk about their work with other great organizations here in our community: Project 150, Eddy House, CARES.

All expressions of that divine goodness within being realized and expressed.

I know we can get discouraged by the news, by reports of humans not being holy. We see people destroying others in the name of money, power, politics; or because they have never been shown how to see good.

I think we Catholics have such a marvelous gift given to us to encourage us, to challenge us to holiness.

Eucharist, we have a community of believers coming together, of all different types of persons, such an amazing diversity. We gather and we listen to Scripture together, in which we hear of God’s work in this world and in us; we are reminded of God’s presence bringing forth a creation.

And of course we have our Communion. Simple Bread and wine, yet also with the potential to become something more; through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The visible sign of that invisible reality of the Father’s goodness within us too, awaiting to be birthed, brought into this world and made real.

It is so powerful now with children receiving their first communions; they take on a role now of greater participation in life, in making known their own holiness. Joining with us, following our Shepherd, our Pastor, Jesus Christ, to live as holy women and men; and finding true life.

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