If you have been following this article, you already know that it is my belief that the call to holiness is many, very different things. It is, of course, a call to “change our hearts and minds” – to change the way we think and live – so that we more fully actualize the potential that God has planted within us to become more like Jesus.

The reason why we remember the life of Jesus and all that He did and accomplished, is so that we might become deeply immersed in the process of changing our thinking and living. Personal change is the goal. This goal is closely connected by discovering the meaning and purpose of life. The meaning and purpose of life is intimately and intrinsically connected with Jesus because He is God’s revelation to us about the purpose of human life.

Given all this, it is important that we understand that God created us with an intellect and free will. He calls us to use your intelligence to understand these things. In the process of understanding this, we cooperate with God in gaining salvation and achieving eternal life. This process begins now in the present moment. We are called to try to do good and avoid evil not because we are afraid of being punished but because we see that this way of living can bring us to a deeper understanding of life. Living this way makes us more and more like Jesus, the revealed likeness of God.

When we develop the habits of (1) accepting all others; (2) not judging others; (3) treating all others as we want to be treated; and (4) unconditionally love others, we become more like Jesus. As we attempt to become more like Jesus, life changes. We begin to see the beauty of the life that God is sharing with us and the wonder of His creation. In living this way, we come to understand that we are God’s children.