A friend once told me, “You are a priest. I am not. So you are holy, while I am a sinner.” Oftentimes we still have this kind of mentality. Just because somebody is a priest or a nun, or active in a church, we thought, she or he is holier than others. Some would still say, “Sister, you are nearer to God, you are inside the convent and you always pray, that is why you are holier. We are in the world, and we are sinners.” Being inside the monastery or convent does not make one holier than those outside of it. It is how one follows Jesus Christ that determines her or his holiness.
In the Gospel (Lk. 5:1-11), Jesus borrowed the boat of Peter as an impromptu pulpit and later on asked him to take him onto the lake to do some fishing. Peter was dismayed, for he knew that as they have not caught fish during the night the more they could not just get any fish even by daylight. But Jesus commanded him, “Put out into the deep water.” In spite of his doubts Peter obeyed. His obedience was rewarded by the amazing catch of fish. Peter ordinary man, he is man of God. He must be a holy man. He is his Lord. And he uttered, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Peter felt he was not worthy to be with the Holy One. He confessed that Jesus is the Holy One (Jn. 6:69). He had to distance himself from the Lord. He felt unworthy before Jesus. A holy man is supposed to separate himself from sinners. But Jesus did not. And so Peter reminded him, “Depart from me, a sinful man.” Peter expresses the spirituality of separation of his time. A holy man must not associate himself with sinners. This is why Jesus was always criticized whenever he associated himself with those who are considered sinners by society.
Jesus came to draw sinners to himself. He associated the sinful Peter with himself in his ministry because he put his trust in Jesus. He left everything and followed the Holy One. As a result Peter lived a holy life.
The Catechism for Filipino Catholics states that “God calls us to share in His holiness by living a good life, empowered by the Spirit” (no. 2145).
And so, whoever we are, whatever state of life we are, we are called to be holy. St. Paul says that as a community we are holy (Rom 1:7). We are asked to live a good life. Our Church, in her document, “Church in the Modern World,” Gaudium et Spes speaks of holiness of marriage and family and mothers fulfill their conjugal and family role by virtue of the sacrament of marriage. They are “penetrated with the spirit of Christ and their whole life is suffused by faith, hope, and charity; thus they increasingly further their own perfection and their mutual sanctification, and together they render glory to God” (no. 48). As to the children, the document continues, “children as living members of the family contribute in their own way to the sanctification of their parents. With sentiments of gratitude, affection and trust, they will repay their parents for the benefits given to them and will come to their assistance as devoted children in times of hardship and in the loneliness of old age.”
Parents live a holy life when they fulfill both of their duties as husbands and wives and as fathers and mothers. I could never forget when my own parents shared with me their responsibility and pain. My brothers and I used to help our father plough the fields to plant rice. It was difficult to plough especially under the biting heat of the sun. My father shared with us his apprehension in sending us to college to have degrees. I realized that my parents were preparing us to meet the challenges of life on the steep hills. That we do not have to quit and give up. My father used to tell us that the tragedy of life is to stop trying to reach our goal. And for him, our immediate goal was to reach the other end of the field while directing the carabao and holding on a plough! But more than that he wanted us to reach our own dreams. But we have to live a good life.
But as much as we wanted to live a good life, to be holy, somewhere along the way we stumble. We are discouraged, we give up our own responsibilities. How many priests and nuns gave up their vocations, spouses give up on each other because of discouragements? We cannot just run our lives by ourselves. Maybe things could have been different when we are there to accompany and help one another, to console and to pray for one another.
But the good news is: despite our unworthiness God does not give up on us. Isaiah, Paul, and Peter believe that God’s call is greater than their sinfulness. We are the ones driving God from our lives. But like the three we acknowledge our sins and promise to live a holy life again, to leave everything and follow Jesus.
- Fr. Jose Aripio, SSP
Sambuhay, Year 23 No. 44
February 7, 2010