I have been exploring with you, my readers, what it means to be called to holiness. I believe that God came in the Person of   Jesus to personally call us to holiness. It seems that humankind, despite all of the prophets of old, just did not come to an understanding of what God intended when He created humankind.

Holiness is the opposite of the reality of this world and presents itself as the eruption of what is absolutely different. The Scriptures supply us with a fundamental definition. They tell us that only God is holy and a human is such only in a derived sense. The sacred and the holy can never be of a human’s own nature but only and always by participation in the nature of God.

The terms kadosh (Hebrew), agios (Greek), syaat (Ukrainian) and sanctus (Latin) – all words for holy –  imply a relationship of totally belonging to God, and of being set apart. This is, in the world’s view, the state of innocence since the person exhibits sincerity, lack of guile and humility. The holiness of God abides within them and shines forth from them. Just as a place is holy because one can sense the presence of God, so too is a holy person if we sense that they are like God in the way that they treat others and live life.

The liturgy teaches this holiness most explicitly.   Before offering the Eucharistic gifts to the faithful, the celebrant says Holy things for the holy and the assembly responds, moved by this awesome invitation, confessing their unworthiness, “One is holy, one is Lord, Jesus Christ, for the glory of God the Father. Amen.” The One who is uniquely holy in his    nature is Christ. Those who are his members are holy only through sharing in his unique   holiness. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are joined to Him and become parts of His extended body in time – He is the head and we are the members of His body. That means that we are joined to His holiness. This, however, requires that we live in His likeness – that we attempt to put on Christ, making His personal characteristics our characteristics.

This means that we have to recognize God’s image in us and then work to imitate His likeness. We know from the Scriptures that He was humble, gentle, caring, loving and dedicated to the service of others. He lived like God intended humans to live. So the call to holiness is really a call to imitate Christ.

Meshiha qam! (Syriac)