Holiness is Compassionate / A follow-up to "Be Careful Things that appear, etc."

Holiness is Compassionate / A follow-up to “Be Careful Things that appear etc.”

My recent article that dealt with Holiness only covered a basic synopsis of that virtue.  Here we will look at the deeper essence of what we are to absorb as holiness in its total meaning should be our quest spiritually.  

Holiness, as printed in the CCC states; “The way to perfection passes by the way of the Cross”  ( CCC 2015 ).  The Cross of Jesus denotes the most undesirable manner of death; the”Crucifixion.”  Here then is our starting point to how holiness can become a reality.  

When Jesus explained to his disciples what following him meant, he said; “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  (Lk 9: 23 - 24).  This statement is not a metaphor of struggling through the day to accomplish some attribute of spirituality.  From the footnote regarding 9: 23, Luke shows the imminent suffering and death of Jesus to which focuses on the daily demands of Christian existence.  Jesus didn’t suggest that the disciples follow him to the cross, but all apostles less John met martyrdom.  Their crosses also followed Jesus to their death either by losing their heads or with Peter on the Cross, literally.

Throughout the world we live in currently there are many more people being martyred, or starved to death, and being held against their will to accomplish an enemy’s desire of torture and eventual death.  These also are the crosses that stood on the place called the Skull and are crucified in a manner you and I would not seek.  

It is to these, our brothers and sisters in Christ, that our compassion must reach out to them in a common prayer of love.  Here is where the deep compassion of brotherly love is mandated for their willing or unwilling existence presents to us hope for our neighbors.  

Carrying our cross daily may mean we shall meet a period of suffering; maybe like that of our Lord, the innocent lamb, but through suffering nonetheless.   The cross, our suffering, and the compassion we have for one another will become the holiness we all seek in our daily walk.  Without the suffering, then the cross, and a martyrdom that will follow is the only way to holiness that exemplifies our path with Jesus Christ.  Martyrdom does not mean we must be put to death, but we must  put to death the sins that keep us from lifting that cross to holiness!

“You do not know what you are asking (sitting at the right and left hands of Jesus in his kingdom) Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink??  They said to him “We can”  He replied “My cup you will indeed drink.”  (Mt 20: 22 - 23).  

We may be asked the same question before our own death.  Our answer may be one of yes and when we are carrying that cross upon our own shoulder the holiness we sought is now our reality.

Ralph B. Hathaway