What does it mean to be a Christian?

Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

What a challenge. How can we ever think of becoming holy and perfect? Paul gives us today the approach we must take: "Make still greater progress". We are challenged to continue growing in holiness, day by day.

Growing in holiness does not mean trying to act holy, putting many "do's" and don'ts" into our lives. It is more than that. It is growing in union with the Father, growing in openness to the Spirit within us and following Jesus ever more closely. It means forgetting ourselves to be lost in God, giving ourselves to others; charity and love for others not only as doing things for them, but as growing towards them spontaneously from the heart. This is the gift of God.

We cannot make ourselves holy, but like the wise virgins who carried "flasks of oil as well as their lamps" we, too, can make every effort to be open to God's action in ourselves and meet the Lord.