In  the Name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit One God Amen.

"Be Holy as I am also Holy " 1 Peter 1:16

The second Sunday of the Great lent is called KIDIST, meaning HOLY. This is the week we start the 40 days fast of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is named so because scriptures sung and read as of the eve of the Sunday have to do with HOLINESS .

1. Why Holiness, because :-

• God is holy -

• I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Lev 11:44
• You are to be holy to Me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own. Lev 20:26.
• "Be Holy as I am also Holy " 1 Peter 1:16

Therefore, it is not an option that God just left open to entertain to be indifferent about holiness/purity . If you want to follow God, He is important enough, precious enough, valuable enough to give Him yourself purely.

• • Give “your whole heart, soul, and mind” to God.

• "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind';

•  Avoid hypocrisy or being “double minded”
  • Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8.

2.  We were created in His image- to be  Holy.

• So God created mankind in His own image,  in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them…. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. [Gen. 1:27]
• ”They were naked and not ashamed.” Gen 2:25 because
  • God’s plan of love was written in their naked bodies and that is exactly what they desire- to love as God loves- in and through their body.

3. To have freedom/ choice

• “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin,” “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Because it is true freedom that sets you free.
  • It allows you to decide whatever you want freely. If you are in prison, there is no way you would be free to go to McDonald's or Wendy's to eat.
  • A person who lets his heart be occupied with sin, gives proof that God does not live in his heart, as thoughts arise from the inside of the heart.

In order to be truly and completely free from slavery to sin, we must become slaves of righteousness. We must become a slave of God. The difference between the two is that one is involuntary and the other is voluntary. We become slaves of sin against our will or perhaps more correctly through the progressive weakening of our will. Conversely, we become slaves of God and righteous through a free act of obedience. It does not happen overnight. It takes time and it is determined by our habits: what we do repeatedly, over and over-daily prayer, daily reading of Scripture, regular liturgical fasting, serving those in need, weekly worshipping of God in the Church with our fellow Orthodox Christians, repentance and receiving Holy Communion -these are all habits that will enslave us to Christ.

End of slavery to sin is death and that slavery to God ends with everlasting/eternal life [Rom. 7].

1. What is the problem with Holiness/ Purity - the battle against Sin

Sin = desire + opportunity

• Your desires reveal who you are, your character, value, motivation, purpose. It directs how we think about life.  How you desire is how you think. You really need an opportunity to carry out your desire.
  • Evil thoughts may arise from desires or bad lusts inside the heart. In fact, desires and thoughts co-operate; each of the two may be a cause and a result. An evil thought may bring about a wicked lust, and a wicked lust may give birth to a wicked thought. On many occasions your thoughts may be expressive of your desires. Try to clear out your heart from evil desires; then your thoughts will consequently be purified

III. So who is going to heaven  ….?

If God and sin couldn’t coexist, and we are sinners; how could we go to heaven?

• God counts all our sins one by one..
  • God is pure and heaven is also pure
    • We can be only good or bad, live in light or darkness, be with God or the devil. Choose to be holy or evil.
      • If heaven is for good people
        • And everyone sins, who is going to heaven?

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. [1 John 4:10]. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:16]. Our Lord and Savior has saved us once and for all. We could acquire them  for free through Holy Church Sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation, and taking Holy Communion. When we fail, we could be within His grace through Confession, taking Holy Communion and following His commandment..

• Confession and Holy Communion is the surest way to heaven - the path the righteous Fathers walked on and by which they obtained Heavenly crowns.

1. How to keep your Holiness

• Desire it from within
  • Try to clear out your heart from evil desires; then your thoughts will consequently be purified
  • A person who has left sin for the sake of God's commandments and not because s/he hates sin should progress in repentance until sin is removed from the heart.
• Avoid the opportunity to sin
  • Keep away from all things that bring to your mind a sinful thought. Such thoughts may come as a result of faulty readings, of wicked things that are heard, or due to a sinful environment, bad company, or wicked friendship.
• Self control/straining yourself
  • • Fasting         
    • Say NO to sin- you have a choice.
• Support system
  • Visible- talk to your priests, spiritual brothers, mentors
  • Invisible- ask the intercession and guidance of St. Mary, Angels, and Saints
• When you fail, repent again!!!

Declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! [Ezk 33:11].

O Lord! Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name;

deliver us and forgive our sins  for your name’s sake. [Ps. 79].

Glory to be God

and to His virgin Mother

and to the Glorious Cross

Amen.

Dn. Medhanie