We know, with Peter, that Christ Jesus is "the Holy One of God." What it has taken us a long time to realize, however, is that we are, each and all, called to be Holy Ones of God. From the very beginning when we were created in God's own image, carrying the divine spark of Love deep within, the Beloved has desired that we share in the household of God as children of God. Christ Jesus came, in the fullness of time, to incarnate the presence of the Holy One in our midst, to show us what it means to abide in Love with our brothers and sisters, no matter how different they may be, in God's divine household.

When we look at the world around us today, we see too many of us haven't been open to receive "the words of eternal life", the promise of God. We continue to look out for me and mine, for our prosperity, status, power, to the exclusion of anything or anyone else. We are self-centered, rather than self-giving and don't even begin to notice how our choices affect the world around us, both near and far. In the separate, secure little box that we've created for ourselves, it is easier for us to blame others for the mess around us than to feel compunction for our actions or lack thereof.

Fortunately, God is infinitely patient and doesn't ever give up on us becoming the Holy Ones of God. The Beloved knows what is amiss in our body, mind, and spirit and meets each one of us right where we are. God is ever at work deep within each of us, wherever a crack in our hard hearts can be found, saving and healing, transforming, deifying, sanctifying us for life as one of the Holy Ones of God, as children of God in the household of God.