Holiness. Jesus invites us to the path of perfect love for God and neighbor, holiness.

When we were still small children, we had the experience of taking our first steps, when they called to us: “Come to me!” And we gladly stepped towards our father or mother, because we loved them and were sure that the way to them would be completely safe. Jesus addresses us: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). And perfection is when Jesus expects from us “.give to whoever asks you…” (Mt 5:42)

Saint Paul calls and addresses the members of the first Christian communities to whom he addresses his letters as “saints”. The Second Vatican Council reminds the Christians of today that their first and fundamental vocation is: the vocation to holiness. This vocation was given by God to everyone. Holiness is not only the task of priests and religious, but it is a commitment for every Christian. Where does our call to holiness come from? The source of our holiness is Jesus Christ. The soul of holiness is love. Love of God and neighbor. Just as Jesus tells us when he answers the question, “Which commandment is the greatest?” His answer is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Mt 22:36).

Faith and hope will disappear, we will no longer need them in eternity. However, love reaches heaven, and heaven is the goal of holiness. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux understood the same thing. He considers that if the Church forms one body, composed of many members, there must not be one member missing. That member is the most necessary and noblest, and that is the heart; a heart that burns with love. If the Church did not have this love, the apostles would not proclaim the Gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. Love simply embraces all professions, embraces all times and places – it is eternal. We are even to love and pray for our enemies. Such perfection can only be achieved when we look to Christ nailed to the cross and draw strength from him. This power is hidden in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. The path of Jesus’ holiness is also our path. Let us trust the Lord on the path of our holiness. He is Emmanuel, God with us, and therefore there is never a reason to lose hope.

It is right, Christian, that for the love of Jesus, we want to love even our enemies… Let’s take these words of Jesus into our lives… St. Paul compares the Church Community to a magnificent building. Every believer is one stone in the wall of this work. And we know that for the safety of a large structure, it is essential that every stone is reliable. In the same way, the holiness of the Church is divided among its members. Dear saints, let us remain faithful to this noble vocation – holiness, which Jesus gave us because we are his friends and he loved us to the point of death.