To be holy...

In the April 2004 issue of Touchstone, David W. Fagerberg has an article titled, Between Heaven & Earth: C. S. Lewis on Asceticism & Holiness. How we, as Christians, reach the secular culture depends, by and large, on how holy we are. Our holiness would seem to be a by-product of our committment to discipleship. While the only perfect Christian is a dead Christian, can we deny that we are not able to grow as disciples of Christ? Fagerberg writes:

Lewis thought this transfiguration made the person complete, and that already these completed people were dotted here and there, all over the earth. “Every now and then one meets them.” In Mere Christianity, Lewis offered an intriguing description of these ascetics. “Their very voices and faces are different from ours; stronger, quieter, happier, more radiant. They begin where most of us leave off.” The ascetic who is being conformed to holiness is recognizable, but Lewis thought you must know what to look for, because they will not be like your general idea of religious people.

They do not draw attention to themselves. You tend to think that you are being kind to them when they are really being kind to you. They love you more than other men do but they need you less. They will usually seem to have a lot of time: you will wonder where it comes from. In that way, to become holy is rather like joining a secret society. To put it at the very lowest, it must be great fun.