“Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain” (Ps. 24:3–4). Our Psalm today calls us to a very high standard, and the other readings echo this. St. Paul tells Titus that a bishop must be “blameless,” as well as “temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled” (Titus 1:7, 8). Jesus tells us that scandals will come, but “woe to the one through whom they occur” (Luke 17:1). We all make mistakes, and we all sin from time to time but Scripture is clear that our goal should be blamelessness, sinlessness, with a clean heart and action without reproach.
In a society struggling with lukewarmness and dissociation, we can fall into the trap of believing that being a good Christian means simply being a good person. If we do this, we will be acting slightly better than most non-Christians around us. But we are called to a much higher standard. The Christian is not to compare himself to others around him for inspiration; he is called to compare himself to God. God is the only one who is sinless, without reproach, blameless, holy. We become these things to the degree that we act as God acts.
It is this standard to which we are called: we are to be salt and light for the world, allowing God to work through us to heal its tastelessness and darkness. This is not easy, and it is not possible on our own. We cannot do this without availing ourselves of the means of grace, sacraments and sacramentals, remaining connected to the streams of divine life. We cannot do this without consistent and constant prayer, allowing the circumstances of our daily lives to be opportunities for turning to God and acting as saints. We cannot do this without rooting out our faults, practicing penance and not being content with repeated moral failings.
With God’s grace, we can live the call that we are given. This is what enables us to follow Christ’s command and “rebuke him” if our brother sins, “and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3, 4). If we keep our hands sinless and hearts clean, we allow Christ to live in us, and if He lives in us, we can see as He sees. We will see people for who they are, and will not be afraid to say something to them if they are setting a bad example. For example, when we are in conversation with others we tend to either remain silent or encourage them when they turn to gossip. Christ calls us to speak up, and He calls us to be just as courageous in forgiving someone who then acknowledges their wrong. In this way, we are “holding fast to the true message” that we were taught (Titus 1:9).
“¿Quién subirá hasta el monte del Señor? ¿Quién podrá estar en su recinto santo? El de corazón limpio y manos puras y que no jura en falso.” (Salmo 24,3-4). El Salmo de hoy nos llama a un estándar muy alto, y las otras lecturas hacen eco de esto. San Pablo le dice a Tito que un obispo debe ser “irreprochable”, así como “sensato, justo, piadoso, dueño de sí mismo” (Tito 1,7- 8). Jesús nos dice que vendrán escándalos, pero “¡ay de aquel que las provoca!” (Lucas 17,1). Todos cometemos errores y todos pecamos de vez en cuando, pero la Escritura es clara en que nuestro objetivo debe ser la intachabilidad, la ausencia de pecado, un corazón limpio y una acción sin reproche.
En una sociedad que lucha contra la tibieza y la disociación, podemos caer en la trampa de creer que ser un buen cristiano significa simplemente ser una buena persona. Si hacemos esto, actuaremos un poco mejor que la mayoría de los no cristianos que nos rodean. Pero estamos llamados a un estándar mucho más alto. El cristiano no debe compararse con los demás a su alrededor para inspirarse; está llamado a compararse con Dios. Dios es el único que es impecable, sin reproche, intachable, santo. Llegamos a ser estas cosas en la medida en que actuamos como Dios actúa.
Este es el estándar al que estamos llamados: debemos ser sal y luz para el mundo, permitiendo que Dios trabaje a través de nosotros para sanar el mal gusto y la oscuridad. Esto no es fácil y no es posible por nosotros mismos. No podemos hacerlo sin valernos de la gracia, los sacramentos y sacramentales, permaneciendo conectados a las corrientes de la vida divina. No podemos hacerlo sin una oración constante y consistente, permitiendo que las circunstancias de la vida diaria sean oportunidades para volvernos a Dios y actuar como santos. No podemos hacerlo sin erradicar nuestras faltas, practicar la penitencia y dejar de contentarnos con fallas morales repetidas.
Con la gracia de Dios, podemos vivir el llamado que se nos da. Esto es lo que nos permite seguir el mandato de Cristo y “trata de corregirlo” si nuestro hermano peca, “y si se arrepiente, perdónalo” (Lucas 17,3-4). Si mantenemos las manos sin pecado y el corazón limpio, permitimos que Cristo viva en nosotros, y si vive en nosotros, podemos ver como Él ve. Veremos a las personas como son y no tendremos miedo de decirles algo si están dando mal ejemplo. Por ejemplo, cuando conversamos con otras personas, tendemos a permanecer en silencio o alentarlas cuando se ponen a chismear. Cristo nos llama a hablar, y nos llama a ser igualmente valientes al perdonar a alguien que luego reconoce su error. De esta manera, somos “apegado[s] a la fe enseñada” (Tito 1:9).
David Dashiell is a freelance author and editor in the Nashville, Tennessee area. He has three children, a degree in theology, and enjoys writing about philosophy, theology, culture, music, and comedy. You can find his personal blog, Serious Daydreams, on Substack. He is also the editor of the anthology Ever Ancient, Ever New: Why Younger Generations Are Embracing Traditional Catholicism, available through TAN Books.
Feature Image Credit: Alexandre Calame, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/the-jungfrau-12116/
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Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on 
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