Arabic original here.
Holiness
The believer's
holiness is the fruit, expression and reflection of the incarnation of the Son
of God. He became like us so that we may become like Him. Taking inspiration
from His example, as well as from the model of the saints, whose synaxis we
commemorate on the Sunday of All the Saints, we can get a realistic image of
holiness. Here is some of what holiness means with regard to ethical behavior
in its various forms:
That you hear
and listen. This means that you empty yourself so that you may be ready to
listen to the other. That you take him seriously. That you respect and honor
him according to his worth, that is, to the degree that Christ honors him. In
the same context, it means that you learn to listen to God who speaks to us
through various means in order to reveal to us His will and His love.
That you speak
such that your words become a reflection of your building up the edifice that
God desires to be His dwelling-place, an edifice not made by hands, whereas the
human person is a repository and vessel for the Holy Spirit. That when you
address the other, you feel that you are addressing God on his behalf or
addressing them on God’s behalf, so you place bonds of love and God's will as
the framework within which your desires and your will move. Prayer and
addressing others has a single final purpose, which is to sanctify souls, to
strengthen harmony and to persist in faith in the incarnate Son and the Father
who sent Him.
That you work
so as to assume part of the responsibility for the site of the service or
commitment that you have taken upon yourself or that events or circumstances
have imposed on you, such that you strive for your work to be compatible with
God's will and an expression of love for God and your neighbor.
That you behave
and act such that your words and deeds are a translation of your faith, without
separation between word and deed. That is, without hypocrisy. Believing in
Christ means that I believe in Christ the chaste, in Christ the servant, in
Christ the humble, etc. This is what calls me to practice chastity, to serve
and to be humble as the Lord has given us a model in Himself.
That you love
such that you give yourself, so you weep with those who are weeping and rejoice
with those who are rejoicing, and you give yourself to God and to your neighbor
according to the divine commandment. This love is accompanied by suffering
because you are not perfect and neither are others, because you are weak and
selfish and do not realize God's will. The goal of holiness is striving for
love.
These elements
crystalize one's spirit according to God's Spirit, which touches us and through
us touches all existence, in order to sanctify it, guide it and lead it to
wellsprings of life. This Spirit listens to the groaning of all existent
things: rational, living and inanimate. He is the one who speaks and grants
wisdom, understanding and discernment. He is the one who does the Father's will
among humankind, guides them to what Christ commanded and leads humanity to the
day when the Son will come again in the glory of His Father. He is the one who
consoles the believer in the labor pains that strike when giving birth to the
new man within him and giving birth to the signposts of the kingdom among us, where
there is justice, love, peace and meekness. It is the Spirit of God that we
emulate every day of our life. When He settles within us, we can palpably feel
God's holiness in everything.
Is holiness
possible today? Yes, if we commit to learning humility and meekness, as Jesus
asked us to do: "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart and you
will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Let us not be afraid to
seek this rest that comes by bearing the cross of commitment. That is, struggle,
toil, self-restraint and setting forth at every moment, even from rock bottom,
for the Lord repays everyone with divine justice and mercy.
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