"But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.”
1 Peter 1:15
Our sanctification is a gift and a responsibility.
God is holy. He is perfect and transcendent, infinitely greater than humankind. He has called us to eternal fellowship with Him in His kingdom. We can only enter His kingdom if we are sanctified.
Our sanctification is a gift from God. Christ gave His life as a sacrifice so that we could be delivered from sin (Heb 10:14). He sanctifies us by His word (Jn 15:3). Through Holy Sealing, the Holy Spirit has taken up permanent residence in us. But our sanctification is also a responsibility. Like Moses (Ex 3:5) and Israel (Ex 19:10), we must sanctify ourselves to come to God. This sanctification consists of:
- Showing humility and repentance to obtain forgiveness of sins;
- Abstaining from anything that interferes with our fellowship with God;
- Allowing the new creature to unfold in us, to become perfect in love (Mt 5:48).
Our sanctification is also a calling. God has chosen us, not for our merits, but to make us a holy people, devoted to God (1 Pet 2:9). He asks us to testify that we belong to God. Let us show, by our behavior, that we are pilgrims on this earth — in the world, but not of this world.
Jesus Christ called His Apostles to give them a special mission. They must work in His name to communicate salvation to humankind. The Apostles ordain the believers chosen by God to assist them in this task.
At the time of their ordination, ministers are invested with the ministerial authority to act in the name and for the mission of Jesus Christ. They also receive the sanctification necessary to exercise this authority. This sanctification allows them to dispense the sacraments and blessings perfectly despite their human imperfection.
As ordained ministers, we have the responsibility to work for our sanctification. It consists in particular in:
- Humbling ourselves. Aware that we are entirely dependent on grace, we must show humility to obtain it. And this humility must be reflected specifically in our relationship with others;
- Sanctifying the Sunday — let us reflect on what it says about the third commandment in the Catechism (CNAC 5.3.4);
- Putting ourselves aside — we really need to spend time in prayer, reading the Bible, meditation and learning new skills. Even at the cost of some sacrifices …
- Purifying our heart — our motivation to serve must be pure. Let us not see our ordination as recognition of particular merit. Let us not see our ministry as an opportunity to exercise power or to gain privileges. Our only motivation must be love!
- Purifying our preaching — let us take to heart the proclamation of the gospel, the whole gospel and only the gospel. Let us not ignore what may be uncomfortable for us, and let us not try to please everyone …
An ordained minister dedicates his life to serving God. Not just a few hours a week. All our behavior should testify to our belonging to God and our love for Him. Let us not be discouraged by the difficulties we may encounter! Let us not forget that God can also use our afflictions to sanctify us (Heb 12:9-12; 1 Pet 4:12-13). Sometimes our mission is to show the faithful how our trials can help bring us closer to God and focus on what really matters!
Sanctification is essential for entering the kingdom of God. God sanctifies us through the sacrifice of Christ, His word and the sacraments. He calls us to purify ourselves and dedicate our lives to Him.