Holy-

What does it mean to be holy? You are kind, you are good, you are prayerful...what else? Humble...one has to be humble if one is to be holy. You can't march around the street saying "Look how good I am....I am holy". For if you did this, you would not be holy at all, you would be vain.

I think there are two types of holiness. There's the holiness one sees in another. We look at a monk...in a monastery, and we say he is holy. For to all appearances....he is holy. The other type of holiness, is very personal. I would say it is a state of mind. It defines a personal relationship with God.

Now I say to you...it is possible for the monk not to be holy at all. Yes, he appears to be holy. However only he, himself and God know whether he is holy in his mind, and in heart and in his soul.

Now lets take any other person in the world....in any occupation...of any age (other than a small child)....how do we tell if he is holy? We can make certain observations....if he goes to church on Sunday, receives the Eucharist, and kneels during prayers, has good manners, we would assume that this person might be holy. Now let's take a man who works every Sunday...in a Coal Mine, he doesn't go to church. He looks filthy. He barely supports his family. We would assume he is not holy. We would assume wrong. For this man, the entire time he works offers his every thought, his every word to God. He lives the life God has given him to the best of his abilities. He loves God as his Father and his Creator. His sole purpose in life is to honor God by loving his family, and using the talents God gave him. This man is holy.

Who is holy? Only God knows for sure. We come back to judging. Never judge another...for none of us knows what is in the mind of another person. We can only make assumptions, and they can be very wrong.

So for tonight my prayer is:

Dear Lord,
In your wisdom and goodness grant that I may see the light.
Let me accept every moment of everyday as a gift from you.
An opportunity to be my best self ..humble, caring and loving.
Guide me through the days of darkness and the nights of fear.
Bless me Lord, with your gift of holiness.
Amen