Holiness, by John Carberry
Holiness means set apart for God. It is derived from the term whole, dealing with the complete
person’s body and soul. When we consider something as holy, we set it apart from earthly things.
We give it greater respect. We exult it, or raise it up high above other things.
We can look at the crucifix and the cross as symbols. The crucifix, which contains the body or
corpus of Christ, shows God’s great love for us by becoming flesh and dying on the cross. But
the cross, without the body of Christ, also can be symbolic. The tree of the cross, or the vertical
portion, can represent how humans should view our relationship with God, with humanity at the
bottom in the humble and earthly position, while God is at the top, exalted, respected, looked up
to and raised on high. The arm of the cross, or the horizontal piece, can signify how humanity is
viewed, with each person having equal value or dignity in the eyes of God.
Many of our worldly troubles today result from our failure to set apart what is holy, or to give
God the respect that he is due. When we think that we are equal to God, and not subservient, we
make a great mistake. We therefore see how pride is a great sin, while humility is a necessary
virtue. We cannot make ourselves equal to God. We must always look up to him, seeking his
counsel, respecting his authority, and praising his name. Adam and Eve tried to make
themselves equal to God, and committed the original sin. Cain thought of himself as greater than
his brother, Abel (Gn 4:8), and committed the first murder. Korah rebelled against the authority
of Moses (Nm 16:3), and God punished him by consuming him and his followers in a fiery
earthquake (Nm 16:35).
We sometimes limit the meaning of the Second Commandment: do not invoke the name of the
Lord, your God, in vain (Ex 20:7, Dt 5:11), in our interpretations to God’s name alone, rather
than all that is holy. When we take the Lord name in vain, we use it without purpose or respect.
But anything that is holy must be exalted and given great respect. “The sense of the sacred is
part of the virtue of religion.”1 When we speak of God and what is holy, we must do so with fear
of the Lord.2
It is not difficult to see how disrespect for what is holy has caused a separation of humanity from
God. If life was considered holy and worthy of respect, we would not question the Church laws
against abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and in vitro fertilization (IVF). If the authority
of the Church was exalted, we would know that we hear Christ’s voice through the
interpretations of the Pope (Lk 10:16, Mt 10:14-15, 40-41, 16:18-19, Jn 13:20, Dt 17:12, 21:5,
Sir 7:29-31, Jer 26:12, Ez 3:7, 33:31-33). The respect for the unitive and procreative purposes of
marriage should cause us to show greater respect for our sɛҳuąƖity, rather than using it as a
source of fun and jokes. The generosity of God’s gifts to us of time, treasure and talents should
cause us to share with others and assist others who are in need. Finally, our possession of the
truth, whether is relates to the spiritual gifts or the promotion of justice, should move us to share
the truth with all persons that we encounter.
Our Blessed Mother was holy, set apart for God, favored by God (Lk 1:28-30), and full of grace.
She accepts her new life, the child that she will bear and she cooperates with God (Lk 1:38) as
she becomes the Mother of Our Lord (Lk 1:43). She demonstrates her concern for others as she
visits her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45). She is obedient to the will of the Father and
she acknowledges the greatness of God (Lk 1:46) who has lifted her up in her lowliness (Lk
1:52).
John Carberry is the author of Parables: Catholic Apologetics Through Sacred Scripture (2003)
and Sacraments: Signs, Symbols and Significance (2023).
1 The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), (Strathfield, Australia: Saint Pauls Publications, 2009), 2144.
2 CCC, 2150.
Topic: Holiness (Read 1267 times)