Holy and Good

God is holy. And good. And love. The presence of God sanctifies, through His very nature, and in love, heals. Sanctification is the goal of Christian life, not teaching, not good works, not a life of prayer. All of these things will spring from the fountain of sanctification. This time of year is one to remember our Lord and God, who came into the world personally, sanctifying human existence itself, healing it, and thereby healing all of us. His assumption of all the sufferings of humanity, the day to day woes, the brutality of violence, even the darkness of death itself, has led all of these things to be sanctified and healed. Even though we may not sense it now, because we are always repenting, always working to change our perception to be more like that of God, the deed is done, from Incarnation through Passion to Resurrection and Ascension. It takes that Spiritual vision, a precious gift of God’s grace, to see the perfection, to catch a glimpse, however short, of the blue sky beyond the clouds. Someday, there will be no more such clouds. This season we celebrate the birth of our Lord and God as a humble infant, the most helpless of creatures. But in His plan, His first arrival is the guarantee of the second, when He will come with all power and glory, and all will be healed. There is no other possibility. All will be healed. That is the work of the Mighty God, a work of love, and good, and holiness. In approaching that manger, like the shepherds, and beholding the infant, and hearing the glorification of the angelic host, we should only add to their hymns: Come, our Lord! Come!