The word “holy” comes up all the time in church. Through the Scriptures, God often exhorts us to “be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). Priests often encourage us to strive for holiness. But holiness can often feel abstract when used in conversation. We may know that the word “holy” means “set apart,” but what does it mean for us to live out holiness in our lives?
Thankfully, Pope Saint John Paul II gives us a formula for what holiness looks like. When we have pure hearts, and our bodily actions match the purity of our hearts, we act in holiness. We can also think of it with the phrase, “the truth I know is the truth I should show.” You could also simply call this, “integrity.” Holiness comes with a sense of wholeness as we integrate our bodies with the movements of our hearts.
But what does it mean to “have a pure heart?” To label something as pure, it should obviously have no sort of contamination. Our hearts can become contaminated with incorrect or sinful views of the world, such as believing that a man can become a woman. A person may genuinely believe an incorrect idea, but that doesn’t make the idea true. By forming our consciences, we purify our hearts. When we align our worldview to that of the Church, we form ourselves in the truth.
Once we’ve purified our hearts, we can live in holiness… or can we? Just because we know what’s right, doesn’t mean we always do it. God gave us free will, after all. Living out holiness takes effort; we have to choose holiness in every decision we make. This may sound impossible at first, but with God’s grace, we can live holy lives.
Let’s look at an example we all encounter in our everyday lives. When I know that I should take care of my body, and I eat healthy food, I am living out holiness. Conversely, when I know I should take care of my body, but constantly indulge in excessive junk food and don’t exercise, I am failing to live out holiness; I am living in sin. Holiness doesn’t just belong to the saints; God wants all of us to live holy lives.
We can live out holiness by purifying our hearts, and then living in accordance with that purity. God wants us all to live holy lives because He wants us to be whole. When we sin, we become detached from ourselves, splitting our body from the truth. When we pursue holiness, we pursue God.
Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.
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