If you’re being holy too.

Precision is often considered a royal privilege, while selflessness is associated with holiness. Many boys dream of becoming knights, not just to rescue princesses from dragons or villains, but also to engage in chivalrous combat and experience the thrill of battle.

During a playful knightly duel with my neighbor in my grandparents’ garden, we were using trees as our opponents. When my grandfather appeared, I eagerly requested a real sword to cut down the entire tree. He gently took my wooden sword, explaining that true knights protect rather than destroy. As he walked away with my toy weapon, my brief knightly aspirations came to an abrupt and inglorious end.

Jesus’ instruction to his disciples in today’s Gospel, sending them out in pairs with minimal possessions, can be interpreted as a caution against materialism. By forbidding bread, bags, money, and extra clothing, Jesus seemingly warns against accumulating worldly goods.

Jesus’ disciples are called to embrace asceticism, modesty, and a life of extreme simplicity. This concept of spiritual austerity continues to influence both the clergy and laity in modern Christian society.

Authentic disciples of Jesus need not live in poverty. They can carry possessions and even travel with luggage. Even those dressed in finery, like royalty, can be genuine messengers of faith. Beauty, success, and wealth are not barriers to spiritual authenticity or discipleship.

St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians outlines the sole prerequisite: “to be holy and blameless before him in love.” Pope Francis elaborated on the practical implications of this statement in one of his addresses.

Holiness stems from God’s infinite goodness and our communion with Him. It involves nurturing the divine gift of selflessness within us. Those who receive holiness as a gift of grace naturally express it through their daily actions and interactions with others. Essentially, holiness is the manifestation of God’s grace in our everyday lives.

God’s love, reflected in our mercy towards others, purifies our hearts and enables forgiveness. This daily process renders us ‘unblemished,’ not by removing stains, but by allowing God’s selfless gift to enter and grow within us, which we then cultivate and share with others.

The crux of the matter lies not in possessions but in attitude. God’s generosity, exemplified by the gift of His Son and the Eucharist, serves as a model for our lives. We are called to emulate this selflessness in our hearts, speech, and interactions with the world around us.

Paradoxically, a Tesla driver may more genuinely embody religious virtues than a public transport user. Similarly, those wearing designer clothing or residing in Monaco might better exemplify spiritual values than someone in dated attire or living in Rio’s largest slum. This counterintuitive notion stems from the concept of selfless devotion.

Success calls for humility, and power demands justice. Everyone has blessings and the potential for holiness. If you feel fortunate, seek purity of heart. Blessed professors should strive to be holy teachers, inspiring students with the beauty of their subject and helping them attain wisdom.

Those with vast estates can demonstrate holiness by sharing meals with the less fortunate. Those in positions of power can show compassion by considering the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Those blessed with extraordinary beauty can exhibit grace by humbly serving others, even in challenging or unpleasant circumstances.

Sanctify your talents by avoiding contempt and dishonesty in speech. Let success breed humility, and power fosters justice. We all possess blessings; let us use them to cultivate holiness.

They say precision is the privilege of kings. In that case, holiness is the privilege of selfless people. That is, those who are grateful and have hearts unblemished by pride, greed, glory, self-centeredness, self-importance, and mammon.

This week, I was profoundly moved by Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas’s statement. As the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, his office is situated near the children’s hospital recently bombed by Russian forces. The Archbishop remarked:

Faced with the suffering of the most vulnerable, we question how anyone can rationalize or justify war. It’s incomprehensible that some can maintain a clear conscience while continuing to defend such actions.

Speak with integrity; let your words reflect holiness.