Why is it so hard to live a holy
life in our world? Would it still be so
hard to live a holy life if modern society was not so secular? If we weren’t constantly surrounded by a
culture that glorifies casual sex, profanity, violence, wealth, and living for
ourselves would we still struggle to live a holy life?
In Thomas Merton’s book, Life and Holiness, he reminds us that it
is not just people in religious vocations that are called to live holy lives
but instead it is all who are called to lives of holiness. I find that statement comforting and at the
same time intimidating. It is comforting
in the fact that God wants all of his people to live according to the way he
has laid out for us. He does not chose
which people can live holy lives and which cannot. At the same time it is intimidating because
often times I have doubts about living up to these expectations. When I think to myself, “God is calling me to
be holy, to live a perfect life,” I immediately start to doubt myself. I know it is true that no one except Jesus
has ever lived such a perfect life in the way that God calls us to. It is just as certain as death and taxes that
we will all sin. But it is comforting to
know that God calls us all to be perfect while knowing that we are all flawed. I believe by following God’s will and trying
to live a holy life we are preparing ourselves for our next life.
Perfection is not something that
our American culture is unfamiliar with.
I believe our society wants us to be perfect in our careers or in sports
or in music or whatever else it may be.
Society may even pressure us to be the perfect husband, wife, brother,
or friend as well. However, I don’t
ever remember society pressuring us to be perfect in our morals. I remember a friend of mine telling me about
a Catholic middle school principal that he knows. This principal makes it clear to his students
every year that their first goal in life should not be to get straight A’s, be
the best member of their sports team, or join the most extracurricular
activities, but instead it should be to become a saint. I believe we need more leaders in our society
who call us to this action.
My last point is that we are called
to be those leaders ourselves. This does
not mean that we need to be in a position of power or authority to be those
leaders. It simply means that we can be
a leader by demonstrating holiness in an environment that may not be so
holy. It may be as small as smiling and
saying “Hi” to the homeless person on the street or being extra nice to that
boss that you don’t like. Believe it or
not people notice these small acts of kindness and it might just inspire
someone else to an act of kindness.
