Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
In the gospel for today Jesus speaks of the rewards that are in store for those who follow him. Yet it is important to see that Jesus also speaks of the hardships that are in store for those who attempt to follow him. Jesus also reminds his disciples that success in the Christian life will not look like success it the way that people ordinary define it. Judging things from a worldly standpoint, what Jesus is calling people to doesn’t make much sense, for “many that are first will be last, and the last will be first” (v. 31). In the first reading, Peter talks of the role of the prophets and the early disciples of Jesus in passing on the faith and inspiring people to live a life that is devoted to God.
The common theme in these scriptures in holiness. Holiness is held up both as a goal to strive for and as a requirement for us if we are going to be living an authentic, Christian life. This raises the question, what does it mean to be holy? As the Bible uses the term, holiness means to be set apart for God. There is the implication here, as the reading from 1 Peter states, that people who are holy have learned to live not by following their self-centered desires, but by pursuing what is pleasing to God. This is why the people of Israel are said to be holy, and why Paul and other New Testament writers say that the early Christians are holy. Furthermore, being holy goes together with our striving to be like God and to find eternal life (1 Peter 1: 10-16).
Striving for holiness can seem like an impossible goal. It can also seem kind of pretentious to tell people you are trying to be holy. The point of seeking holiness in one’s life of faith is not to judge or condemn other people. Nor is the point to make oneself look good at the expense of others by pretending that you are better than other people. As Christians we can avoid any arrogance or pride in our search after holiness if we remember the lesson of the first reading, from 1 Peter. It is the Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets and spoke through them. It is the Holy Spirit who animated the first Christians and helped them start to spread the gospel to the world, and it is the Holy Spirit who is the source of our holiness as Christians even today.
We have just celebrated the feast of Pentacost and the pouring forth of the Holy Spirit on the early Christians. The Church teaches that each one of us who has been confirmed has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This week and throughout ordinary time, let us live in the consciousness of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Let us be open to the Spirit and the ways that we are being made holy through our daily walk of faith. Finally, let us pray for greater openness to the Spirit’s work in our lives.
-Joel Schickel