What is holiness? Is it a great love for God? A heroic degree of virtue? A vibrant prayer life?
Holiness is something Catholics hear a lot about, and even strive for, but are not always sure what it actually means.
With Lent less than a month away -- it begins on February 22 this year -- Catholics and many other Christians will be thinking a lot about what they want to focus on during the season of Lent, in the hope of growing closer to God. It really helps if we knew what we're aiming for.
The St. Paul Center, a nonprofit research and educational institute that promotes life-transforming Scripture study from the heart of the Church, wants to remedy that.
The team there has developed a beautifully produced 12-part Bible study called Holy Is His Name, which traces the meaning of holiness from its origins in Scripture to its appearance in our own lives today.
The series, taught by Dr. Scott Hahn -- founder and president of the St. Paul Center -- explores the Scriptural encounters with the Divine: the burning bush, the ark of the covenant, the burning coal, and more.
“This topic – holiness – is one I’ve been contemplating for 50 years,” said Hahn. “We’re taught early on to prize holiness – to admire it in others and to strive for it in our own lives; but, we’re never quite told what holiness is. We hear and read biographies of the saints, and we’re told that holiness is the common element in their lives, and then we’re left to draw our own conclusions. When we begin to look for the information that we need to define this term it can be challenging; however, by thorough study of Scripture, we can gain a better
understanding of what holiness means and what part it plays in our lives.”
The Holy Is His Name series is available for free streaming this Lent when you sign up here. The St. Paul Institute is also offering a study guide for the program, as well as a leader's guide for anyone leading a group.
