Life of Holiness
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III speaks about the concept of holiness and the call to holiness relying on the epistle of our teacher Peter the Apostle and the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, explaining that God is holy and that the call is that we be holy as He is holy.
The Main Idea of the Lecture
The lecture explains that holiness is not merely an emotion but a spiritual and existential state: beginning from God’s creation where holiness alone existed, then the fall of the angels and man and the entrance of sin, and the necessity for man to return to his original image through holiness.
The Spiritual and Educational Dimension from a Coptic Orthodox Faith Perspective
The talk highlights that holiness is granted by grace and divine means (baptism, chrismation, repentance) and that the Holy Spirit is the agent who makes the heart a dwelling for God, and that participation in the sacraments, teaching, and pastoral care leads to sanctification.
Examples and Scriptural Confirmations
The lecture cites verses (Be holy, Revelation of John, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Romans, Galatians) and presents scenes like the seraphim’s vision to emphasize the human fear before God’s holiness and the need for purification and a new heart.
Practical Application and Christian Conduct
His Holiness calls for a life of continuous striving repentance, avoiding sin, planting the fruits of the Spirit (love, humility, chastity, joy, peace), and committing to the sacraments, worship, and instruction as the way to holiness.
Note on the Church and the Community Character
He mentions that the Church is the community of the saints and that the member is part of the body of Christ, therefore sanctification is communal and personal, and that silence about sin within the community harms the communal holiness.
Spiritual Conclusion
Holiness is God’s invitational goal for us: not merely a title but a life in which believers grow gradually through God’s grace, the work of the Holy Spirit, repentance, and works of love until they are conformed to the image of Christ.
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