In the dictionary, holiness is defined as a state of being holy. But what does that mean to us?

To be holy is to make a difference in the world. Its to belong and to invite others to belong, getting and giving strength and support to others, to be loved and to love others. Being holy is being right with God. It means to be in line with what he has planned for you and to be righteous. When we are holy, we are perfectly in tune with God, his heart and what he has to say. We feel fully alive and happy. We listen to him, obey his commands and communicate with him constantly. We are pure when we are holy. For example, the most holy person in the Bible was Jesus. He is the perfect example for us to follow.

Baptism
Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation. In the Bible, we are commanded that after we have accepted Jesus Christ as our one and only Saviour, we should make it public and get baptized. Even Jesus, the holy son of God, was baptized. When we are baptized, we are accepted into the Christian community which will help us to have strength and give us support. It will also give us purpose on this earth. This shows that we are holy because we are following Gods command to publicly declare our belief in Him and His only Son.

Holy Communion (Eucharist)

This is the third sacrament of initiation. Before Jesus died on the cross, he had what we call communion with his disciples. He took the bread, broke it and said This is my body. Eat it in remembrance of me. He then took the wine and said This is my blood. Drink it in remembrance of me. Jesus was fully and 100% holy, which is why he died on the cross so someday we could be made holy and go to live with Him in heaven. When we partake in the Holy Communion, we are remembering what Jesus did for us and the suffering he went through just to make us holy.

Confirmation
This is the second sacrament of initiation. Confirmation is the sacrament that celebrates our joining and becoming a part of the Christian/Catholic community. When we publicly celebrate

the sacrament of confirmation with our families and friends, we are acknowledging ourselves as newly found believers of Christ. The other members of the Catholic/Christian community are also acknowledging that we have recently accepted Jesus Christ as our one and only Saviour and they are welcoming us to join them in their happiness. This shows Jesus mission of holiness because we are willingly giving all of ourselves to Jesus. We are committing ourselves to him and allowing him to become the ruler of our hearts and lives. Jesus is holy, so when we join him and allow him into our heart, we are admitting that we are not perfect but that we will let Jesus improve us so that we may one day become holy.

Reconciliation (Penance)
This is the first sacrament of healing. In Romans, it says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The phrase we have all sinned sums up our human nature. Nobody is perfect, no matter how hard they try or what they say or think. We are all sinners and we all do wrong. Jesus, however, is perfect. He does not sin as He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The three of them work together as one Holy Trinity. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins. The sacrament of reconciliation celebrates this forgiveness given to us by Jesus. When we partake in the sacrament of reconciliation, we are acknowledging that we have sinned and we are accepting Jesus efforts to forgive us and make us whole which is making us holy.

Anointing of the Sick

The sacrament anointing of the sick is second sacrament of healing. When a family member or friend is gravely ill, they are usually offered sacrament. Getting this sacrament does not mean that the Church is giving up on you and admitting you will die. This sacrament is offered just to give the ill person and their loved ones hope, strength and peace through their illness. It also offers them courage to be able to bear this phase in life, whether or not they may die. When Jesus died on the cross for us, he experienced the pain that we feel. This sacrament helps us to find God even in their suffering because we remember that Jesus suffered too. It helps us to enter more deeply into Jesus suffering and truly appreciate what he did for us.

Holy Orders
This sacrament is a sacrament of service. This sacrament is when a bishop ordains another man to become a bishop, priest or deacon. The man is now newly dedicated to the image of Christ. After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He commissioned everyone to go out and make

disciples in the world and to proclaim the message to everyone. He promised to give us his power to help us. By following the Great Commission given to us by Jesus, we are becoming more and more holy and converting more members into the Christian community.

Marriage
This is another sacrament of service. This sacrament is a sacrament of commitment between a man and a woman. They make a lifelong commitment to love and care for each other no matter what could possibly happen. They become one flesh- two people that are joined together at the heart. Because humans are made in the image of God, the love of a man and a woman for each other are a demonstration of Gods unfailing love for us. When we honor this lifelong commitment, we are being holy and honoring Gods creation of us as humans and the plan he has for each and every one of us.

The Holy Spirit helps us to be disciples of Jesus by living inside of us and being our conscious. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, He sends his Holy Spirit to help us spread the Word to others and make other disciples in this world. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and courage to tell others about Jesus and His great love for all of us. Its there to work as our partner and friend.

I think Im pretty willing to be a disciple for Jesus and to serve Him; however, I get nervous because I hate to be judged and thought of badly. But if it came down to it and I had to choose between Jesus and the people on this earth, I know Id choose Jesus. I would try to keep how he died and suffered for me in my mind. I would believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and count on it to give me courage to do what needed to be done.

A sacrament is a religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded as an outward and visible sign of divine grace. It is an important event of significance in a Catholic/Christians life. It shows that we belong to the Christian community. Examples are:

Sacrament
Baptism Confirmation

Sacramental Moments
When the priest raises us out of the water and we feel renewed and fresh. When the oil is put on your forehead, you feel

Eucharist (Holy Communion)

Reconciliation (Penance)

Anointing of the Sick

Holy Orders

Marriage

a new sensation of joy at being accepted, welcomed into the Christian community and belonging. We remember what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross as we partake in the eating of the bread and the drinking of the juice/wine with others. We feel cleansed because we have been forgiven of our sins by God and man. We become at peace with all. We feel hope and courage that we can still press forward and go on even through our pain and sickness. We are completing Gods call for us to go and spread the Word to others and make disciples of all people on earth. We are connecting two hearts and two people and making them one, bound together in their infinite love for each other.