I had lunch with my grandpa this afternoon. I was supposed to be interviewing him for my AP History project, but we got a little off track. He was telling me about his dad and how he served in WW2. I asked him if his dad was holy, because my grandpa is very holy. He said that without his dad he would have never have become the Catholic that he is today. The second mark of the Church "Holy" is a very important one. I will get back to my grandpa in a few moments, but first let me ask the question What does it mean to be holy? I could give some long definition that may confuse some of you, but I will just give you an easy answer. To be holy means to be Christ-like. I think that my grandpa is very much Christ-like. This does not mean to be the spitting image of Christ, but just to live your life following the examples Christ set for us. Such as: giving to the poor, praying to our father, going to mass, and many many more. Pope Benedict had a few words to say about being holy- "Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness." -- Cardinal Ratzinger. He is exactly right. It is ok to make mistakes, you learn from them. It doesn't mean you aren't holy if you make a mistake. You just have to repent your sins and admit you were wrong. Now back to my grandpa. My grandpa has bibles and crosses throughout his house. Does this alone make him holy? No. It does not. He extends the calling to be holy by attending mass almost every day, even on the weekdays, reading the bible (most notably at our Christmas celebration we read the Nativity passage and someone puts Jesus in his manger-great tradition), and volunteering at local places. My grandpa is the hardest working man I know and with the guidance of God and through his holiness, shaped a great man today- my dad.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Catholic Families
I had lunch with my grandpa this afternoon. I was supposed to be interviewing him for my AP History project, but we got a little off track. He was telling me about his dad and how he served in WW2. I asked him if his dad was holy, because my grandpa is very holy. He said that without his dad he would have never have become the Catholic that he is today. The second mark of the Church "Holy" is a very important one. I will get back to my grandpa in a few moments, but first let me ask the question What does it mean to be holy? I could give some long definition that may confuse some of you, but I will just give you an easy answer. To be holy means to be Christ-like. I think that my grandpa is very much Christ-like. This does not mean to be the spitting image of Christ, but just to live your life following the examples Christ set for us. Such as: giving to the poor, praying to our father, going to mass, and many many more. Pope Benedict had a few words to say about being holy- "Holiness does not consist in not making mistakes or never sinning. Holiness grows with capacity for conversion, repentance, willingness to begin again, and above all with the capacity for reconciliation and forgiveness." -- Cardinal Ratzinger. He is exactly right. It is ok to make mistakes, you learn from them. It doesn't mean you aren't holy if you make a mistake. You just have to repent your sins and admit you were wrong. Now back to my grandpa. My grandpa has bibles and crosses throughout his house. Does this alone make him holy? No. It does not. He extends the calling to be holy by attending mass almost every day, even on the weekdays, reading the bible (most notably at our Christmas celebration we read the Nativity passage and someone puts Jesus in his manger-great tradition), and volunteering at local places. My grandpa is the hardest working man I know and with the guidance of God and through his holiness, shaped a great man today- my dad.
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