Each Christmas, my parish generously gives each member the gift of spiritual reading. This year’s offering was The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity by Matthew Kelly.
I’ve read a number of Kelly’s books. Even though many of them touch on the same themes, I find them encouraging and practical, offering a jolt of much-needed spiritual motivation. Kelly wants every Catholic to live their faith fully, to be all that God wants them to be.
As far as Kelly is concerned, the biggest lie in the history of Christianity is that holiness isn’t possible. Somehow we have accepted the idea that holiness is only for a select few, when in reality God calls all of us to be holy.
“This is the will of God, that you be holy.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)In fact, living a life of holiness is the only sure path to happiness.
The thought of living a holy life can seem overwhelming, just as the thought of doing anything for a lifetime can seem too much to manage. Holiness, like life itself, is best lived one moment at a time. Kelly encourages us to create “holy moments.” We may not be able to comprehend living a holy life, but we can all manage to create a holy moment.
What is a holy moment?
“A Holy Moment is a moment when you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to him . . . you simply do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do in that moment.”Of course, then the question remains, “How do I know what God wants me to do in that moment?” Kelly offers some guidelines. We can ask ourselves if this action will help us to grow in character and virtue. Does what we are going to do contradict Jesus’ teachings in any way? Will this action bring harm to another person? In addition, prayer plays a major role in this discernment process. We should ask God, “What is it that you want from me in this moment?” Each holy moment has the power to change the world for the better. Kelly challenges each of us to live a life full of holy moments and to encourage three other people to do the same. Consider this your invitation. Will you be one of my three people? This is how the early Christians transformed the world. They lived differently because of their faith in Jesus Christ and encouraged others to do the same. As Kelly reminds us in The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity, we have the power to have the same impact in our modern world.
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Copyright 2019 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur This article contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchases through these links benefit the author.
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