8 STEPS TO HOLINESS
8 STEPS TO HOLINESS
By Fr. M. C. Poulose
St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, New Delhi
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines 8 steps to holiness, which are 8
steps to the Kingdom of God. They are:
. Humility
. Sanctification
. Meekness
. Righteousness
. Compassion
. Purity
. Peacemaking
. Martyrdom
Humility is the hallmark of a man of God. Pride is the hallmark of a man of
the world. Moses the servant of God was the humblest of all the prophets
because he has seen God face to face, rather he has seen the glory of God
face to face. Learn humility from Our Lord's reply to the Chief Priest's
question, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, "I
am", and note carefully the next part, "And you will see the Son of Man.."
(St. Mark 14: 61-62). Jesus did not use epithets like the King of Kings, Son
of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, to describe himself. He chose the
humblest of terms for himself, the Son of Man! The life of St. Mary - whose
commemorative feast we are celebrating on August 15 - is a Profile in
Humility. Only when you carry God in your person as the Blessed Virgin did,
will you realize the immense power of the living God in your life, and you
turn truly humble.
Declares God through His prophet:
"I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble
spirit" (Isaiah 57:15).
God dwells in Heaven and also in the heart of the humblest of human beings.
So we read, God was with Joseph and He prospered him in everything that he
did (Genesis 39: 2 & 23). Joseph was the most trustworthy of men we find in
the Old Testament. His father trusted him, his master Pothipher trusted him,
the jailer trusted and even the Pharaoh trusted him. Humility is the mother
of all virtues as pride is the mother of all sin.43
Sanctification is the desire to be holy but often expressed in
heart-breaking sobs and tears. Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned,
cries David and prays, cleanse me that I may be whiter than snow. No wonder
Jesus says, Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. God
comforts those who sin but repents, because He knows we are frail.
Sanctification is rededication of the Inner Realm, so that God can use you
for His purposes. What is the will of God for you, you might ask. The will
of God for you is your sanctification (I Thessalonians 4: 3).
Meekness is gentleness of spirit, even being Christ-like. Not getting
provoked, not erupting like a volcano, not placing one's courage on display,
not exhibiting one's wealth or parading one's erudition, all contribute to
meekness. Meekness is not never ever getting angry, or never ever offending
anyone, or never ever being critical, but it is power contained, like the
mighty but becalmed ocean, which when strikes rips continents.
Righteousness is Godliness in action. And those who seek righteousness truly
seek God. Justice is another name for righteousness but it is a much
maligned word thanks to the judicial system that favours the rich and the
powerful. Righteousness concerns your interaction with members of society
and if you deal fairly with others you tend to be righteous. Righteousness
is being generous to the poor and helping the needy. A society built on
exploitation cannot be righteous; nor can men who amass wealth by exploiting
the poor. There is exploitation in every human relationship, the powerful
exploiting the powerless, the educated exploiting the uneducated, the high
caste exploiting the low caste. Giving more than taking is righteousness
while taking more than giving is unrighteousness, especially applied in
human relationship.
Therefore the Lord says,
"And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be
your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall
cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'" (Isaiah 58: 8 & 9).
Compassion is sensitivity to the needs of the less fortunate ones. It is
empathy more than sympathy, which is the ability to see things as the one
suffering it. Jesus saw the blind and he had compassion, he saw the lepers
and he had compassion, he saw the deaf and dumb and he had compassion, he
saw a hunch backed woman suffering for 18 years and he had compassion,
because he experienced the depth of their suffering as they did. His healing
miracles proceeded out of his compassion. Miracles will happen if your heart
is moved by the suffering of others. A middle-aged lady saw a poor woman
succumbing to her childbirth because no medical facilities were available in
that region. The Vellore Christian Medical Hospital is the product of her
compassion. Why, some religious fanatics killed a missionary near Delhi, and
St. Stephen's College in the capital to educate this community is the
product of the compassion of the sister of the slain missionary. Godly
compassion works miracles.
Purity opens our inner eyes to see God who is invisible. Shunning guile and
deception and stains of sin, and meditating on the Word of God, and ever
looking to the Great Shepherd, one travels on the road to purity. Constant
sanctification takes us one step closer to our goal - inner purity. As David
reminds us, Thou desirest (desires) truth in the inward part. One vision of
God will change your perspective - from a defeatist to an optimist and a
winner, from the author of a meaningless life to the author of a meaningful
life, from being self-centred to God-centred. And you will realize the truth
of 'seek ye the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added unto you'.
Peacemakers are indeed children of God. And peace is the greatest gift of
God to man. Self-centredness and selfishness is the root of all wars and
quarrels. How did wars start? Kings and kingdoms became ambitious and
extended their territory by plundering, looting and massacring and enslaving
people. Peace returns when greed is abandoned. Not till then. Lot's servants
who reflected the character of their master created problem for Abraham.
Peace-loving Abraham offered Lot his choice of the land that God promised
him. In keeping with his character, Lot chose for himself the lush green
land and left for Abraham his benefactor arid, rocky land. Needless to say
what Lot chose became Sodom and Gommorah, and God gave prosperity to
Abraham. Peace-lovers love God more than material things, while others love
material things more than God!
Martyrdom is being slandered, reviled, tortured and even murdered because
you reflect the holiness of God. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, says
Jesus, because your reward is great. Martyrdom is the greatest testimony of
a Christian, but not everyone is called to be a martyr. Occasional
slandering and vilification, a Christian must expect. But that is not the
end of the story. Life does not end with the grave - blissful days are
ahead.
Prayer
God of love, in our darkness your presence comes to kindle an inner flame. O
God, you know our frailties but you come to transfigure our hearts, So that
our very darkness itself can become inner light...- Amen
From
Vicar's Message - August 2007
The Delhi Orthodox Voice Vol 43 No 8
http://www.smorthodoxcathedraldelhi.org/AUG-07.pdf
Vicar Fr. M. C. Poulose
St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, New Delhi
www.smorthodoxcathedraldelhi.org
By Fr. M. C. Poulose
St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, New Delhi
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines 8 steps to holiness, which are 8
steps to the Kingdom of God. They are:
. Humility
. Sanctification
. Meekness
. Righteousness
. Compassion
. Purity
. Peacemaking
. Martyrdom
Humility is the hallmark of a man of God. Pride is the hallmark of a man of
the world. Moses the servant of God was the humblest of all the prophets
because he has seen God face to face, rather he has seen the glory of God
face to face. Learn humility from Our Lord's reply to the Chief Priest's
question, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, "I
am", and note carefully the next part, "And you will see the Son of Man.."
(St. Mark 14: 61-62). Jesus did not use epithets like the King of Kings, Son
of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, to describe himself. He chose the
humblest of terms for himself, the Son of Man! The life of St. Mary - whose
commemorative feast we are celebrating on August 15 - is a Profile in
Humility. Only when you carry God in your person as the Blessed Virgin did,
will you realize the immense power of the living God in your life, and you
turn truly humble.
Declares God through His prophet:
"I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble
spirit" (Isaiah 57:15).
God dwells in Heaven and also in the heart of the humblest of human beings.
So we read, God was with Joseph and He prospered him in everything that he
did (Genesis 39: 2 & 23). Joseph was the most trustworthy of men we find in
the Old Testament. His father trusted him, his master Pothipher trusted him,
the jailer trusted and even the Pharaoh trusted him. Humility is the mother
of all virtues as pride is the mother of all sin.43
Sanctification is the desire to be holy but often expressed in
heart-breaking sobs and tears. Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned,
cries David and prays, cleanse me that I may be whiter than snow. No wonder
Jesus says, Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. God
comforts those who sin but repents, because He knows we are frail.
Sanctification is rededication of the Inner Realm, so that God can use you
for His purposes. What is the will of God for you, you might ask. The will
of God for you is your sanctification (I Thessalonians 4: 3).
Meekness is gentleness of spirit, even being Christ-like. Not getting
provoked, not erupting like a volcano, not placing one's courage on display,
not exhibiting one's wealth or parading one's erudition, all contribute to
meekness. Meekness is not never ever getting angry, or never ever offending
anyone, or never ever being critical, but it is power contained, like the
mighty but becalmed ocean, which when strikes rips continents.
Righteousness is Godliness in action. And those who seek righteousness truly
seek God. Justice is another name for righteousness but it is a much
maligned word thanks to the judicial system that favours the rich and the
powerful. Righteousness concerns your interaction with members of society
and if you deal fairly with others you tend to be righteous. Righteousness
is being generous to the poor and helping the needy. A society built on
exploitation cannot be righteous; nor can men who amass wealth by exploiting
the poor. There is exploitation in every human relationship, the powerful
exploiting the powerless, the educated exploiting the uneducated, the high
caste exploiting the low caste. Giving more than taking is righteousness
while taking more than giving is unrighteousness, especially applied in
human relationship.
Therefore the Lord says,
"And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be
your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall
cry, and He will say, 'Here I am'" (Isaiah 58: 8 & 9).
Compassion is sensitivity to the needs of the less fortunate ones. It is
empathy more than sympathy, which is the ability to see things as the one
suffering it. Jesus saw the blind and he had compassion, he saw the lepers
and he had compassion, he saw the deaf and dumb and he had compassion, he
saw a hunch backed woman suffering for 18 years and he had compassion,
because he experienced the depth of their suffering as they did. His healing
miracles proceeded out of his compassion. Miracles will happen if your heart
is moved by the suffering of others. A middle-aged lady saw a poor woman
succumbing to her childbirth because no medical facilities were available in
that region. The Vellore Christian Medical Hospital is the product of her
compassion. Why, some religious fanatics killed a missionary near Delhi, and
St. Stephen's College in the capital to educate this community is the
product of the compassion of the sister of the slain missionary. Godly
compassion works miracles.
Purity opens our inner eyes to see God who is invisible. Shunning guile and
deception and stains of sin, and meditating on the Word of God, and ever
looking to the Great Shepherd, one travels on the road to purity. Constant
sanctification takes us one step closer to our goal - inner purity. As David
reminds us, Thou desirest (desires) truth in the inward part. One vision of
God will change your perspective - from a defeatist to an optimist and a
winner, from the author of a meaningless life to the author of a meaningful
life, from being self-centred to God-centred. And you will realize the truth
of 'seek ye the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added unto you'.
Peacemakers are indeed children of God. And peace is the greatest gift of
God to man. Self-centredness and selfishness is the root of all wars and
quarrels. How did wars start? Kings and kingdoms became ambitious and
extended their territory by plundering, looting and massacring and enslaving
people. Peace returns when greed is abandoned. Not till then. Lot's servants
who reflected the character of their master created problem for Abraham.
Peace-loving Abraham offered Lot his choice of the land that God promised
him. In keeping with his character, Lot chose for himself the lush green
land and left for Abraham his benefactor arid, rocky land. Needless to say
what Lot chose became Sodom and Gommorah, and God gave prosperity to
Abraham. Peace-lovers love God more than material things, while others love
material things more than God!
Martyrdom is being slandered, reviled, tortured and even murdered because
you reflect the holiness of God. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, says
Jesus, because your reward is great. Martyrdom is the greatest testimony of
a Christian, but not everyone is called to be a martyr. Occasional
slandering and vilification, a Christian must expect. But that is not the
end of the story. Life does not end with the grave - blissful days are
ahead.
Prayer
God of love, in our darkness your presence comes to kindle an inner flame. O
God, you know our frailties but you come to transfigure our hearts, So that
our very darkness itself can become inner light...- Amen
From
Vicar's Message - August 2007
The Delhi Orthodox Voice Vol 43 No 8
http://www.smorthodoxcathedraldelhi.org/AUG-07.pdf
Vicar Fr. M. C. Poulose
St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, New Delhi
www.smorthodoxcathedraldelhi.org
Comments