HOLINESS

 KADOSH (KADOSCH)

Rev Fr UTAZI Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa

A. INTRODUCTION 

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen says: I die with Thee, O Christ  on Calvary! What does this mean or imply? It means Holiness. Let us begin anew with the most pertinent question of our lives. Everything else is either within it or worthless. How do I become holy?  can I become holy? Holiness is simply this: perfect conformity to the will of God in all things, at all times, and in all places. It is to will what God wills. It is to act as God would have you act. It is the perfect correspondence between who and what you are, and who and what God wants you to be. It is that simple. Estote ergo vos perfecti, sicut et Pater vester Caelestis perfectus est  Be you therefore perfect, as also your Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)  And He said to all: If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. (Luke 9:23)

B. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HOLINESS?

In 1 Peter 1:13-16, Peter writes to believers, Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" Peter is quoting from Leviticus 11:44 and Leviticus 19:2.

First, lets look AT GODS HOLINESS. What does it mean that God is holy? Passages like 1 Samuel 2:2 and Isaiah 6:3 are just two of many examples of passages about Gods holiness. Another way to say it is absolute perfection. God is unlike any other (cf. Hosea 11:9), and His holiness is the essence of that otherness. His very being is completely absent of even a trace of sin (James 1:13; Hebrews 6:18). He is high above any other, and no one can compare to Him (Psalm 40:5). Gods holiness pervades His entire being and shapes all His attributes. His love is a holy love, His mercy is holy mercy, and even His anger and wrath are holy anger and holy wrath. These concepts are difficult for humans to grasp, just as God is difficult for us to understand in His entirety.

Next, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US TO BE HOLY? When God told Israel to be holy in Leviticus 11 and 19, He was instructing them to be distinct from the other nations by giving them specific regulations to govern their lives. Israel is Gods chosen nation and God has set them apart from all other people groups. They are His special people, and consequently they were given standards that God wanted them to live by so the world would know they belonged to Him. When Peter repeats the Lords words in 1 Peter 1:16, he is talking specifically to believers. As believers, we need to be "set apart" from the world unto the Lord. We need to be living by Gods standards, not the worlds. God is not calling us to be perfect, but to be distinct from the world. First Peter 2:9 describes believers as "a holy nation." It is a fact! We are separated from the world; we need to live out that reality in our day-to-day lives, which Peter tells us how to do in 1 Peter 1:13-16.

Finally, HOW CAN WE BECOME HOLY? Holiness only results from a right relationship with God by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior (accepting His gift of eternal life). If we have not placed our faith in Gods Son alone to save us from our sins, then our pursuit of holiness is in vain. So, we must first make sure we are born-again believers (see John 3). If we truly are believers, then we recognize that our position in Christ automatically sets us apart from the world (1 Peter 2:9). After all, we have a relationship with the living God! Then we must daily live a set-apart life, not trying to "blend in" with the world, but instead living according to Gods Word as we study the Bible and grow in it.

SCRIPTURAL VERSES ON HOLINESS

2 Corinthians 7:1But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

Psalm 119:9 He has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

2 Timothy 1:9 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:5 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

Philippians 2:14-16a But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for Gods holy people.

Ephesians 5:3 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.

Leviticus 20:26 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your true and proper worship.

Romans 12:1 There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:2 For this is what the high and exalted One says he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 57:15 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:22

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.

Romans 16:17 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 Dont you know that you yourselves are Gods temple and that Gods Spirit dwells in your midst?

1 Corinthians 3:16 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 38:23 Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Amos 5:14 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Psalm 103:1It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider ones vows.

Proverbs 20:25 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

Ezekiel 36:23 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

Luke 8:16 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before himhis name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

C. THE CONCEPT OF HOLINESS

(A.S. hal, perfect, or whole). The Latin word for HOLINESS is Sanctitas. So, in the Vulgate of the New Testament, the word SANCTITAS is used. The Latin Sanctitas is from two different Greek words for holiness hagiosyne (1 Thess. 3:13) and hosiotes (Luke 1:75; Ephesians 4:24). These two Greek words express respectively the two ideas connoted (implied, indicated, signified) by holiness viz: that of separation as seen in hagios from hagos, which denotes "any matter of religious awe" (the Latin, sacer); and that of sanctioned (sancitus), that which is hosios has received God's seal. Considerable confusion is caused by the Reims version which renders hagiasmos by "holiness" in Hebrews 12:14, but more correctly elsewhere by "sanctification", while hagiosyne, which is only once rendered correctly "holiness", is twice translated "sanctification". What I mean is that: Hagiasmos (Greek)  sanctification; Hagiosyne (Greek)  Holiness; Hosiotes (Greek)  Holiness; Sanctitas (Latin)  Holiness. When Hagiosyne is used to mean holiness, it means one or something that is set apart or separated from. When Hosiotes is used to mean holiness, it means religious fear, piety, firmness. When sanctity is used to mean holiness, it means, according St Thomas Aquinas, for all that is dedicated to the Divine service, whether persons or things. Such must be pure or separated from the world, for the mind needs to be withdrawn from the contemplation of inferior things if it is to be set upon the Supreme Truth  and this, too, with firmness or stability, since it is a question of attachment to that which is our ultimate end and primary principle, viz., God Himself. 

In the Old Testament the Hebrew Kadosch (holy) meant being separated from the secular or profane, or dedication to God's service, as Israel was said to be holy because it was the people of God. The holiness of God identified his separation from all evil. And among creatures they are holy by their relation to him. Holiness in creatures is either subjective or objective or both. It is subjective essentially by the possession of divine grace and morally by the practice of virtue. Objective holiness in creatures denotes their exclusive consecration to the service of God: priests by their ordination, religious by their vows, sacred places, vessels, and vestments by the blessing they receive and the sacred purpose for which they are reserved.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS AND THE CONCEPT OF HOLINESS

St. Thomas (II-II:81:8) insists on the two aspects (hagiosyne—separation; and hosiotesfirmness) of holiness mentioned above, viz., separation and firmness, though he arrives at these meanings by dint of the etymologies of Origen and St. Isidore. St. Thomas Aquinas says that Sanctity, is the term used for all that is dedicated to the Divine service, whether persons or things. Such must be pure or separated from the world, for the mind needs to be withdrawn from the contemplation of inferior things if it is to be set upon the Supreme Truth  and this, too, with firmness or stability, since it is a question of attachment to that which is our ultimate end and primary principle, viz., God Himself  "I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels. . . nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8:38-39). Hence St. Thomas defines holiness as that virtue by which a man's mind applies itself and all its acts to God; he ranks it among the infused moral virtues, and identifies it with the virtue of religion, but with this difference that, whereas religion is the virtue whereby we offer God due service in the things which pertain to the Divine service, holiness is the virtue by which we make all our acts subservient (docile, submissive) to God. Thus holiness or sanctity is the outcome of sanctification, that Divine act by which God freely justifies us, and by which He has claimed us for His own; by our resulting sanctity, in act as well as in habit, we claim Him as our Beginning and as the End towards which we daily unflinchingly tend. 

Thus in the moral order sanctity is the assertion of the paramount rights of God; its concrete manifestation is the keeping of the Commandments, hence St. Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews 12:14 thus: Follow peace with all men, and holiness [sanctimoniam, hagiasmon]: without which no man shall see God. The Greek word should be noted; it is generally rendered "sanctification", but it is noteworthy that it is the word chosen by the Greek translators of the Old Testament to render the Hebrew (rendered as Ayin-Zayin), which properly means strength or stability, a meaning which as we have seen is contained in the word holiness. Thus to keep the Commandments faithfully involves a very real though hidden separation from this world, as it also demands a great strength of character or stability in the service of God.

DEGREES OF HOLINESS ACCORDING TO SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

It is manifest, however, that there are degrees in this separation from the world (hagiosyne) and in this stability in God's service (hosiotes). All who would serve God truly must live up to the principles of moral theology, and only so can men save their souls. But others yearn for something higher; they ask for a greater degree of separation from earthly things and a more intense application to the things of God. 

In the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas, All who worship God may be called 'religious', but they are specially called so who dedicate their whole lives to the Divine worship, and withdraw themselves from worldly concerns, just as those are not termed 'contemplatives' who merely contemplate, but those who devote their whole lives to contemplation. And such men subject themselves to other men not for man's sake but for God's sake, words which afford us the keynote of religious life strictly so-called (II-II:81:7, ad 5um).

D. POPE FRANCIS ON HOLINESS

In his homily during Morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican on May 25, Pope Francis noted that, a life of holiness is not defined by having visions or performing extraordinary feats of devotion, but by living with the hope of salvation promised by Christ. While the call to live like a Christian is the same as saying to live 'like a saint,' it does not mean having a face like on a prayer card.  

Pope Francis teaches that being a saint is another thing. Being a saint means walking toward what the Lord tells us about holiness. And what does walking toward holiness mean? Peter says it: Set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 

When Peter calls on Christians to be holy in every aspect of your conduct", he calls on the Christians to walk toward the light of holiness by avoiding the world's way of thinking, which "takes away your freedom". To walk toward holiness, you must be free free to walk looking at the light, going forward. When we return to the way we lived before encountering Jesus Christ or when we return to the plans of this world, we lose our freedom.

Pope Francis explains that Christians may experience the temptation of looking back" during difficult moments in life, like the people of Israel did when wandering in the desert. When they looked forward, things would go well. When they looked back with nostalgia because they could no longer eat the good things that had been given to them, they would make mistakes and forget that back there they did not have freedom." By avoiding the slavery of a worldly mentality, Christians can experience the freedom of trusting in God's promised of salvation.

E. THE THREE SENSES OF UNDERSTANDING HOLINESS

This is another approach to classifying holiness

Holiness is typically taken as a synonym for moral goodness. However, this is only one sense of the word.

Holiness may be understood in three sharply distinct senses: (a) the ontological, (b) the moral, and (c) the ritual. The one definition that is critical to all three is this: holiness is the clear distinction of one from many. To be holy is to be unique, to be set apart from what is common, imperfect, or wicked.

ONTOLOGICAL HOLINESS

Ontological holiness is firstly God in Himself. God is essentially holy. His nature is the basis upon which holiness rests. All definitions of the holy depend on God as their reference point. Ontological holiness is also that state of being a partaker in the Trinitarian life and indelibly marked as a Christian or a priest. This holiness is imparted in baptism, confirmation, and sacred ordination. It cannot be blotted out by anything whatever, and it constitutes a Christian as definitively set apart forever. Ontological holiness is fortified by the other sacraments  namely, confession, unction, and matrimony, and the Holy Eucharist is He Who is its end. The sacraments are the sine qua non of participation in that holiness without which no one will see the Lord. This is one of the central elements of the authentic gospel, and it is the sure foundation of the virtue of hope for those of us who believe.

MORAL HOLINESS

Moral holiness is goodness in human acts and is a result of ontological holiness. It is the conformance of our behavior and our character to God, resulting in us being a new and different sort of people. The heart of moral holiness is the virtue of charity. God is charity, a charity that is firstly Trinitarian and secondly Christological, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that we might burn with the charity of the Holy Spirit. Moral holiness is the witness we give to the reality of the change effected by God in baptism. To the extent that it is present, sin has no place. Moral holiness also urges us to do not only what is right, but what is respectful, prudent, and honorable, discerning what is perfect in all circumstances.

Like ontological holiness, moral holiness is central to the proclamation of the gospel. To it Christians are called so as to be made ever more perfectly the members of Christ.

RITUAL HOLINESS

Ritual holiness is the consecration of people, places, and things exclusively to God. Consecration imparts an invisible character and signifies that character by physical means.

In baptism, all three senses of holiness are present: the catechumen is ontologically changed; he is infused with the charity whereby moral holiness arises; and, importantly, he is consecrated in the sight of all as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

It is important to note that in every sacramental or liturgical act, the Church segregates (keeps apart, set aside, isolates, set apart, separates, isolates) certain things from among common elements. The host, ciborium and the chalice are consecrated as holy to the Lord from the moment they are placed on the altar. So they cannot be used anyhow, or kept anyhow or touched anyhow even by anyhow person. The altar is the throne of God and the place of sacrifice; it is no longer just a table. The sanctuary is where God dwells and is the image of Heaven on Earth. It is no longer a mere portion of a large room. The nave is for the use of Christians in the worship of God; for no one else and to nothing else is it so reserved. The narthex is that point at which the world is transformed into the church.

Ritual holiness is neither new nor superfluous (unessential, unneeded, needless, unnecessary, redundant). It has been the defining identifier of the Church since Abraham, who by his singular journey to the land of promise signified his call to be Gods own. It is also the defining characteristic of the Mosaic covenant, which with its elaborate rites not only foreshadowed the blood that speaks better things than Abels, but also consecrated Israel as holy to the Lord.

Ritual holiness creates hierarchy and exclusivity. It says, This far, and no farther. It does not respect all equally. It creates divisions. It implies moral absolutes. It is therefore at enmity with the modern mentality, just as surely as it is at the heart of Catholicism.

F. FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES FROM WHICH MANY IMPLICATIONS CAN AND OUGHT TO BE DRAWN

These are foundational principles from which many implications can and ought to be drawn. The Church [Catholic Church] is constituted in, called to, and consecrated in holiness. Holiness is the reason she exists; it is her origin and destination. It is the light with which she lightens the world, the salt whereby she seasons it, and the bait whereby she catches souls. It is Christ, living and moving in His mystical Body. May we all come to realize, just how essential, holiness is to all of us individually, and especially to the life of the Church.

G. WHAT HOLINESS IS NOT

ONE. Holiness is Not an Absence of Feeling. Feelings can feel bad  hatred, laziness, lust. We know its not good to live entirely directed by our feelings, or to be under the control of them constantly. But the other way  to treat them entirely as a direct route to sin, is a sure step to living an internally fractured life. Becoming holy does not mean you should aim to feel nothing, or to feel numb. Feelings need to be acknowledged. If they are good, we can celebrate. If they are feelings that would lead us to sin, we should also acknowledge them, but investigate the root causes of them, not just recoil from them and bury them away. That way, we can grapple with them, engage with them, and with help and support, seek forgiveness and healing for the times we have acted on them. Fr Ron Rolheiser, OMI, explains this well when he writes:

 Its easy to mistake depression for sanctity, sentimentality for piety, rigidity for orthodoxy, narrow sectarianism for loyalty, repressed sexuality for wholeness, and denial of ones complexity for stability I say this sympathetically. None of us are free from these struggles. But, with that being confessed, we shouldnt be fooled by false sanctity. Depression, sentimentality, fearfulness, narrowness, rigidity, and repression drain the energy from a room. Real sanctity, piety, orthodoxy, loyalty, wholeness, and stability bring energy into a room and dont make you swallow hard and feel guilty because your own blood is filled with a more robust energy. The presence of real sanctity sets you free and gives you permission to feel good about your humanity, no matter how red your blood. Real sanctity attracts and radiates life; it doesnt unconsciously beg you to play the Good Samaritan to cheer it up.

HOLINESS IS BEING WHOLE AND ACKNOWLEDGING ALL THAT WE FEEL.

TWO. Holiness is Not Being Solemn and Serious all the Time. Holiness does not mean you stop having fun or enjoying the finer things in life. I figured, if God was calling me to be a priest, he was calling me to be a priest, says Fr John Muir in his excellent Day in a Life of video, which shows him going for his morning run, rocking out to his favorite music in the car and laughing and joking with his friends. Our hobbies and interests only become a problem if they eclipse the friendship we have with God. Have hobbies, have interests, do things that add color and richness to your life. To widen the experiences and understanding of your life is to widen your understanding of God. Run, jump, have all the fun you want at the right time, but, for heavens sake, do not commit sin! (Don Bosco, from St. Philip Neri).

HOLINESS IS LIVING LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS.

THREE. Holiness is Not Doing an Unreasonable Amount of Prayer or Fasting. Okay, let me get this one straight! Of course, our whole lives can be an offering to God; we can pray our way through the day and be with God at any time. Fridays and Lent can be special times of fasting too. Fasting and living more somber times are important  they help us focus more closely on God, lose the distractions and rejoice more in the celebration when it comes. But holiness is not a competition in how much we can pray or fast. We need to live our daily lives and do the things  work, studying, looking after our family  that are required of us. As St. Teresa of Avila said, God is to be found among the pots and pans- not just spending hours in the chapel. There is a beautiful line to be found in Psalm 127:2 which says, It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Yes, faith does require work and perseverance, but there is a sense also that we can relax. God has got it. He doesnt require us to put hours of energy in in order for Him to grant us some unattainable level of holiness. He just requires us to be, and to let Him love us, and to find Him in us and us in Him.

HOLINESS IS LIVING BALANCED AND CONSISTENT LIVES, WALKING EVER CLOSER IN FRIENDSHIP TO GOD.

FOUR. Holiness is Not Judging Other People. The command to judge not causes a lot of controversies. Is the Lord giving us carte blanche to allow the people around us to do whatever they like without being checked? Does it mean we can never speak out about wrongs, particularly when they are closely connected with the behavior and actions of another person? No. There must be times when we correct others, when we try to educate others, when we speak out against injustices or even stand up for ourselves in unfair situations. However, judging is the attitude of I would never ever do that myself!. How do we know that?! Given other circumstances, less support, a different upbringing, maybe we would! We never know how weak we are until we face temptation, which can come sometimes completely out of the blue. Temptation can surprise us by its complete disregard for how good we already feel we are. With this in mind, holiness is not a state where we can feel comfortably better than other people. Neither is it a place where we can hammer out our truths to other people without any compassion. We all carry pain and brokenness. We need to reach out to people from a place where we genuinely acknowledge our own sin and what the Lord has done for us.

HOLINESS IS WALKING ALONGSIDE OTHERS, KNOWING THAT WE ARE ALL STRUGGLING TO WALK THE PATH TOWARDS HEAVEN.

TWO. Holiness is Not Trying to be Someone Else Whom You Admire. This is more complex than simply saying be yourself. What if you think of yourself as not holy enough?! Of course, it is necessary and great to have role models, people to look up to, people who can give us advice, but this becomes an issue when we go out of our way to bend and change our personality. If youre a naturally gregarious and energetic person, dont try and become constantly still and silent because you have seen someone else who is holy and is like that. If youre the quieter one, dont worry about feeling like you need to get all fiery and loud about your faith. God needs all types of personalities, and is not hindered by who we are, or by our struggles or the things we think arent good enough. After all, He created us that way. Its been hard to find the attribution to this quote, (let me know in the comments below if you know who said it!) but its great all the same: When you get to heaven God wont ask you why you werent more like Mother Teresa, hell ask you why you werent more like you.

HOLINESS IS *REALLY* BEING YOU.

SIX. Holiness is Not Being Motivated by Fear. Another unhealthy approach to holiness is to think I must be good otherwise bad things will happen. There is no life in this, no joy. Being motivated by fear may work, but it does not allow us our freedom. Being good should not be our single aim. Growing in our relationship with the One who is goodness itself, should be our aim, allowing us to grapple with God, wrestle with our doubts, and ask all our questions. When we are motivated to be good for God out of fear, then it colors all our interactions with everyone around us. It stifles love..

HOLINESS IS TRUSTING THAT GOD HAS YOUR LIFE IN HIS HANDS.

SEVEN. Holiness is not Easy. Of course, even with a good understanding of what holiness is and isnt, it still isnt easy! Nothing worth it was ever easy. It cant be attained in a day. It is a life-long marathon, not a sprint. Holiness requires us to leave our comfort zone, to engage in a battle that we might keep losing for a very long time. Perhaps the hardest part of holiness is picking ourselves up again and again and again  and admitting that we cant do it all on our own. After the Apostle Peter writes about resisting the devil and temptation, he writes: And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. So, be patient with all things, but first of all with yourself (St Francis de Sales).

HOLINESS IS A LIFELONG JOURNEY TO YOUR DESTINATION, WHICH MEANS YOU MIGHT FAIL BUT ALSO YOU CAN DECIDE TO BEGIN AGAIN.

EIGHT. Holiness is not a Hiding Your Faults to Appear Perfect. Sometimes I can look at others and think, theyre so holy! Would they be shocked if they knew everything about me? The truth is, theres no hierarchy to holiness. Attempting to hide our faults probably takes more time, effort, and energy than just holding our hands up and saying were not perfect and are in need of Gods grace and other peoples support. This is why it is so important to cultivate a world where we are all aware that we are in need of Gods and each others forgiveness  because that leads to compassion, and in an atmosphere of compassion we can be real about ourselves and strive to find healing. Seriously. Support each other. Be gentle with one anothers weaknesses. If someone opens up and shows their wounds and scars and failings, dont trample all over them. Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.

H. EMBRACING OUR UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS

Jesus' death on the Cross happened because of the boundless love of God. We see the extent of this love while Jesus suffered and died. Soldiers mocked him, crowds jeered him, and Mary, his mother, cringed in agony. On the day of his Resurrection, his confused, terrified disciples began to see that something new was happening. Then, the Holy Spirit descended upon them on the day of Pentecost and they became the Holy Church of God: his mystical body on earth. They were terrified no more, for the risen Lord remained with them. 

From this time on, speaking to God "face to face" was not reserved to holy men, like Moses and the prophets. The gift of holy intimacy with God is given to those who profess their faith in Jesus as Lord; those who are baptized, and those who live as Jesus taught them (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], no. 2777). Every baptized person receives a universal call to holiness. We are all called to be saints. 

We will address the universal call to holiness in three parts. The first part is the introduction to universal call to holiness, which tells us that we discover God's invitation to holiness in the ordinariness of life. The second part relates our call to holiness to the holiness of God, Jesus, and the Church. Holiness is always a response to God's gift of grace. God extends this invitation and we respond. In saying "yes," we learn how prayer leads us to God and enhances our personal holiness. The third part invites us to embrace our personal call to holiness through prayer, worship, and the actions of our lives. 

PART 1 - WITNESS TO HOLINESS

All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more humane manner of life is fostered also in earthly society. (Lumen Gentium, no.40). Responding to our universal call to holiness is not complicated. Catholic families are enjoined to be simple, faith-filled people. They are to pray with their children, go to Confession regularly, never miss Sunday Mass, and are to be active parishioners. They are to teach their children right from wrong and stressed being kind to one another. Doing these, constitute holiness. 

Ordinary Catholics before Vatican II never used sophisticated theological language like "the universal call to holiness" to describe acts of kindness and love. Nonetheless, they lived their call to holiness in ordinary life experiences. They responded to the graces God gave them to be happy, faith-filled families, workers, and store owners. When it time for Gods activity, they close their shops and leave their farms, to the house of God.

Times and circumstances have changed, but God's call to holiness remains the same for a busy father with two jobs, a computer technician, a student, a nurse, a teacher, a parish minister, or a retired sales person. What more can we say, then, about this wonderful gift of God?

PART 2 - THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES: CALL TO HOLINESS

The call to holiness is rooted in Scripture. It is reflected in the teachings of St. Augustine, St. Francis de Sales (Introduction to the Devout Life), and other great saints and scholars throughout the ages. St. John Paul II speaks of it in Christifidelis Laici, as does the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Appreciation of holiness begins in our understanding of the mystery of God, first revealed in the Old Testament. We begin with the biblical perspective.

THE ALL-HOLY GOD

Every state of life leads to holiness, God's gift . . . . .  [It] is not the prerogative of only a few: holiness is a gift that is offered to all, without exception, so that it constitutes the distinctive character of every Christian. . . . . . everyone is called to holiness in their own state of life. . . . . . it is by living with love and offering Christian witness in our daily tasks that we are called to be saints. (Pope Francis, General Audience to Pilgrims, November 2014) 

Our universal call to holiness is rooted in the all-holy God. In Isaiah, the Seraphim cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory" (Is 6:1, 3). John speaks of the heavenly beings repeating day and night, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, who was, who is and who is to come." (Rev 4:1, 8) The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, The holiness of God is the inaccessible center of his eternal mystery (CCC, no. 2809).

In Hebrew, the word for holy is kadosh. Its root meaning is to cut off, separate, or set apart. In the Scripture, God's holiness refers to the separateness or distinctiveness of God, compared to humans and the rest of creation. God is unique, different from, distinct, and awesome (Neh. 1:5). When the Seraphim and heavenly beings repeat, kadosh, kadosh, kadosh (holy, holy, and holy), they emphasize something extremely significant. The Scripture reserves this three-fold repetition for God's holiness, thus stressing the chief attribute of God. For a Jew, God's kadosh is opposite to the profane. 

But there is more. The term KADOSH is more than an attribute of God among other attributes, like goodness, kindness, mercy, truth, or love. Kadosh is God's very essence and existence. Kadosh is who God is. The Seraphim in Isaiah proclaims that God is totally other, unique, special, and worthy of worship. Nothing is like him; he created all things. In Leviticus 19:1, God describes himself by saying, I the Lord your God am Holy. He transcends all that is and is utterly different from created beings. No human words can adequately describe God, the wholly Other. No one else but God is holy as God is holy. God's holiness never changes; it is the same today as it was before creation. It is utterly unique. Since it is impossible to describe the all-holy One, God illustrated his unique nature figuratively, as when telling Moses, Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground (Exodus 3:5). 

Each Person of the Trinity shares completely in the holiness of the all-holy God, for holiness is God's divine nature. The Father as Creator is holy. The Son as Redeemer is holy. After his suffering and death on the Cross, Jesus was raised and exalted at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:26, 13:33-35). The Holy Spirit, as Sanctifier, is holy. St. Basil the Great says that the Holy Spirit is the essence of divine holiness. (Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit 42-43, 81-83). The Third Eucharistic Prayer tells us, By the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy. 

Sin is opposed to the nature of the all-holy God. Because of Adam's sin and our personal sins, and out of love for his people, the all-holy God redeemed the human race through Christ's saving death on the Cross and his rising from the dead.

THE CHURCH IS HOLY

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy (Lev 19:1-3).

When God first revealed his holiness to the people of Israel, he called them to be holy as he is holy to share in his own holiness. THUS, NO HUMAN POSSESSES THE FULL HOLINESS THAT KADOSH DESCRIBES, FOR HUMAN HOLINESS IS ALWAYS DERIVED HOLINESS. Why? Because even though we are made in the image of God and share God's nature, we are not God. God alone is kadosh. Such derived holiness is more different from than similar to the kadosh of God.

Not belonging to God's nature, the derived holiness that humans possess is a pure gift from God. Jews, Christians, Muslims, and all people of good will are made in God's image and share in their own ways in God's holiness. For our purposes, we concentrate on the holiness of Christians.

Rooted in God, the community of believers from earliest times professed faith in Jesus as Lord and in the holiness of his Church. As the Nicene Creed says, the Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. In addition, Lumen Gentium (LG no. 39) speaks of the Church as unfailingly holy. It says, This is because Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed as 'alone holy,' loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to sanctify her (Ephesians 5:25-26); he joined her to himself as his body and endowed her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. Therefore, all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness.

The holiness of the Church comes from her founder, not from the spiritual worthiness of her members. Jesus, as Head of the Church, endows her with the Sacraments and the power of his Word to make her holy. Hence, the Body of Christ, saints and sinners alike, share in the holiness of her Founder. As St. Paul says, "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the Church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kindyes, so that she may be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27)

Our holiness comes through the Church, the universal sacrament of salvation (LG, 48). The holiness of the Church and the universal holiness of all Christians are central teachings of Vatican II. They are the foundation for the spirituality of the entire Church, as coming from Baptism. We become holy by responding to and living in God's grace, praying, worshipping, and doing good works, especially works of justice and mercy.

THE BAPTIZED ARE HOLY

We do not possess the divine nature of God or have his essential attributes. Nonetheless, made in God's image, we are called to be holysaints and sinners alikein imitation of Christ (1 Pt 1:15), as we pray, worship, love, show compassion, forgive, accept our crosses, and unite them to the Cross of Christ.

In Baptism, we are freed from sin, made holy by the grace of God, and endowed with the graces necessary to bring our holiness to fruition by living a life of faith, hope, and charity. Through Baptism, we become holy, sharers in the divine life. In the Eucharist, our holiness is deepened, as we become one with the source or fount of holiness, our Lord Jesus Christ. Confirmation strengthens us, and Reconciliation offers us God's forgiveness if we have strayed from the holiness given us in Baptism. The Sacrament of the Sick consoles us in our weakness. Orders and Matrimony give us the grace to sustain ourselves as we serve others in the states of ordained ministry and marriage. All the sacraments assist us on our way as we strive to live a holy life.  

We begin on our path to holiness at Baptism. Even the smallest act of kindness, done out of love for our brothers and sisters, is a step toward growth in holiness (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC, no. 2813). As Pope Francis says, Holiness is a gift that is offered to all, without exception, so that it constitutes the distinctive character of every Christian. . . . . Everyone is called to holiness in their own state of life . . . .. it is by living with love and offering Christian witness in our daily tasks that we are called to become saints. . . . . Always and everywhere you can become a saint, that is, by being receptive to the grace that is working in us and leads to holiness. (General Address to Pilgrims in Rome, Vatican Radio, 11/19/2014)

In the same General Address as quoted above, Pope Francis goes on to say: Holiness is a gift of the Lord Jesus, making us like him. We cannot obtain it by ourselves. Every Christian is called to holiness, namely to become a saint. It can occur always and everywhere. This is to be part of our lifestyle in our ordinary daily tasks, not only when we separate ourselves from the world and devote ourselves to prayer. Living a life of holiness can happen in marriage or the single life. It can occur with a worker in a factory or an accountant by being honest, competent, or serving others. It can happen by being a good parent or grandparent who is patient and teaches a child about Jesus and God's love. It can occur when giving to a needy person. This can be the moving force of our lives at home, in the streets, or at Church. God gives us the grace to travel along ordinary paths toward holiness and sainthood. When striving for holiness, we are to examine our lives to see how well we have responded to our call to holiness. Have we been a gossip, avoided taking time with our children because we were too tired, or neglected prayer? We need to remember the importance of prayer as a step to holiness. Every small step we take is a step toward holiness.

Pope Francis' words stress that God extends the invitation to holiness to every person: clergy, religious, and lay. His teaching reflects the words of Pope Benedict XVI at the opening Mass for the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization. He said: Holiness is not confined by cultural, social, political or religious barriers. Its language, that of love and truth, is understandable to all people of good will and it draws them to Jesus Christ, the inexhaustible source of new life." (Homily, St. Peter's Square, Sunday, October 7, 2012, Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

PART 3 - EMBRACING OUR PERSONAL CALL TO HOLINESS: PRAYER, WORSHIP, AND ACTION

“You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. (Second Eucharistic Prayer)

Holiness is at the heart of being a Christian. It is God's gift and can be summed up in the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. Progress in holiness strives toward ever deepening union with Christ, achieved by taking up our cross as Jesus did. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church no.2015: Spiritual progress entails the ascesis [i.e. self-discipline] and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.

In a similar vein, three elements, necessary for spiritual progress, manifest themselves and mirror our universal call to holiness. These are prayer, worship, and action.

PRAYER

To achieve holiness, prayer is essential. It is the communication channel between God and us. In the prayer that Jesus taught us, we ask that God's name be made holy. The Our Father draws us into God's loving plan of kindness, "according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ,' that we might 'be holy and blameless before him in love'" (CCC, no. 2807). 

The lives of Christian families should be rooted in prayer. Our growth in prayer should be progressive. It should involve a communal effort in our families. This should include morning and evening prayer, prayers before and after meals, prayers invoking the intercession of Mary and the saints, and the rosary. A crucifix hanging on the wall, prayer books, statues, and a bible told family members and visitors alike that prayer is essential to us as families. 

Our life of prayer should extend beyond our homes and include visits to church, prayers in school, and personal prayer while walking or playing. We should understand that God is everywhere and that we need to stay in contact with him through formal and informal prayers, in order to avoid temptations that come our way. 

Today, patterns of prayer need to be introduced into modern family life if they are missing. A rhythm of prayer provides great assistance to avoid negative images around us and that come our way through television, the Internet, cell phones, and undesirable characters in our neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces. As the channel that connects the all-good God with us, prayer helps us grow in holiness while we reach out in charity, especially to the poor and neglected.

WORSHIP

In those days, Jesus' real presence in the Eucharist made a tremendous difference for Catholics. Often, we went into church for a visit, and bowed our heads when we passed in front of a Catholic church. Even more important, however, was the time we spent worshipping our all-holy God at Mass. Rarely, if ever, would a Catholic miss Sunday Mass, for we needed God, whom we loved, to enter our hearts and keep us pure, good, and holy. 

Regular worship, complemented by frequent Confession, played a vital part in our growth in holiness. So did the other sacraments. We believed that at these special times God come to us in unique ways, such as at Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination, and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. And, of course, the Baptism of a child was so important that parents rarely put it off more than two weeks.

How different today! Many Catholics, while better educated in the faith, often fail to appreciate the vital necessity of frequently receiving the grace of the sacraments to keep us on the path of holiness. In these days, we need the sacraments, especially Mass and Confession, more than ever. Paradoxically, though, it's precisely at the time we need them most that the practice of frequent Mass attendance and reception of the sacraments has waned or stopped completely. The road along which we respond to the universal call to holiness runs through the sacraments. It is vital today that Catholics better appreciate their value in living a holy life.

ACTION

The road to holiness often occurs in small steps, each one reinforcing personal holiness and giving good example to others. The lifelong commitment to the Lord and faithful following of him by our parents help us to see that the actions they took were the Christian thing to do. They did not consciously allude to this, but "just did it," as the proper way to live. Pope Francis stresses the response to our universal call to holiness though daily actions in the words, "Let us go forth, then, let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ" (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 49). 

Parents and teachers need to instill in their children and in those they form in the faith the need to recognize daily actions as rich fonts for sharing God's love. Great sensitivity exists among the younger generation, today, for reaching out and helping the poor and needy. This instinct is a wonderful opportunity to join the natural propensity of young people for acts of kindness and charity to the gospel message of the universal call to holiness. Such actions leading to holiness of life reach beyond the family to the neighborhood, workplace, and parish. Faith formation can take the desire to serve the needy, implicit in the hearts of young and old alike, and make it explicit by linking actions for justice with Jesus' invitation to follow him along the path of holiness. In the final analysis, how we relate to Jesus affects our holiness of life.

I. HOLINESS MEANS BEING LOVING

The homily of Pope Francis on April 9 2018 forms the content of this section. God calls all Christians to be saints  not plastic statues of saints, but real people who make time for prayer and who show loving care for others in the simplest gestures, Pope Francis said in his new document on holiness, Gaudete et Exsultate. Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy, the pope wrote in Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad), his apostolic exhortation on the call to holiness in todays world.

Recall that Pope Francis signed the exhortation on March 19 2018, the feast of St. Joseph, and the Vatican released it April 9 2018.

Much of the document was written in the second person, speaking directly to the individual reading it. With this exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, the call that he also addresses, personally, to you, he wrote near the beginning. Saying he was not writing a theological treatise on holiness, Pope Francis focused mainly on how the call to holiness is a personal call, something God asks of each Christian and which requires a personal response given ones state in life, talents and circumstances. Pope Francis writes: We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. But that is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.

He wrote about the saints next door and said he likes to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of Gods people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. Pope Francis also noted the challenges to holiness, writing at length and explicitly about the devil just two weeks after an uproar caused by an elderly Italian journalist who claimed the pope told him he did not believe in the existence of hell.

Pope Francis writes: We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable to the devils temptations. The devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our communities.

Now, he says: the path to holiness is almost always gradual, made up of small steps in prayer, in sacrifice and in service to others. Being part of a parish community and receiving the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation, are essential supports for living a holy life. And so is finding time for silent prayer. I do not believe in holiness without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotion.

Furthermore, Pope Francis writes: The holiness to which the Lord calls you will grow through small gestures, he said, before citing the example of a woman who refuses to gossip with a neighbor, returns home and listens patiently to her child even though she is tired, prays the rosary and later meets a poor person and offers him a kind word.

The title of the document was taken from Matthew 5:12 when Jesus says rejoice and be glad to those who are persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The line concludes the Beatitudes, in which, Pope Francis said, Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy: living simply, putting God first, trusting him and not earthly wealth or power, being humble, mourning with and consoling others, being merciful and forgiving, working for justice and seeking peace with all. The example of the saints officially recognized by the church can be helpful, he said, but no one elses path can be duplicated exactly. Each person, he said, needs to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity.

The exhortation ends with a section on discernment, which is a gift to be requested of the Holy Spirit and developed through prayer, reflection, reading Scripture and seeking counsel from a trusted spiritual guide.

A sincere daily examination of conscience' will help, he said, because holiness involves striving each day for all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for each days responsibilities and commitments.

Pope Francis also included a list of cautions. For example, he said holiness involves finding balance in prayer time, time spent enjoying others company and time dedicated to serving others in ways large or small. And, needless to say, anything done out of anxiety, pride or the need to impress others will not lead to holiness.

Being holy is not easy, he said, but if the attempt makes a person judgmental, always frustrated and surly, something is not right. The saints are not odd and aloof, unbearable because of their vanity, negativity and bitterness, he said. The apostles of Christ were not like that.

In fact, the pope said, Christian joy is usually accompanied by a sense of humor. Holiness is not about swooning in mystic rapture, he wrote, but it is about recognizing and serving the Lord in the hungry, the stranger, the naked, the poor and the sick. Holiness is holistic, he said, and while each person has a special mission, no one should claim that their particular call or path is the only worthy one.

Our defense of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred, the pope wrote. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia.

WE ARE FOUNT OF HOLINESS

During the prayers of the Mass we hear the priest pray; You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ

(Eucharistic Prayer II).

St. Augustine comments on the deeper significance of our oneness or communion with Christ in his commentary on Psalm 26. He notes that the practice of anointing in the Old Testament was normally reserved for either the king or the priest. But Christ now holds both offices as both Priest and King in virtue of his anointing or literally being the Messiah or Anointed one. Speaking of Christ, St. Augustine observes, But not only was our Head anointed; but his body was too, we ourselves. . . . From this it is obvious that we are the body of Christ, being all anointed. In him all of us belong to Christ, but we are Christ too, because in some sense the whole Christ is Head and body (Exposition 2 of Psalm 26). We not only become like Christ in Baptism but we actually become a New Creation which is joined to the New AdamChrist Jesus. This is not a mere exterior conformity but an interior transformation which results in us in a sense becoming Christ himself.

St. Augustine notes that, all who have been anointed by his chrism we can rightly call Christs and yet there is one Christ: the whole body with its Head (City of God XVII, 4). As the Catechism reminds us; The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate, each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ (CCC 1547).

Our participation in the Holy Eucharist makes us partakers of the fount of all holiness and in the person of the Holy One of God (John 6:69). Christ shares his priestly soul with us. The council Fathers emphasize this even of the laity, The supreme and eternal Priest, Christ Jesus, since he wills to continue his witness and service also through the laity, vivifies them in this Spirit and increasingly urges them on to every good and perfect work (LG 34).

As a result of this the council fathers inserted an entire chapter on the Universal Call to Holiness. (LG 39-42). By virtue of our Baptism, every single Christian, regardless of their state of life, is called to be holy. As the council fathers note; Therefore in the Church, everyone whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness, according to the saying of the Apostle: For this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3; cf. Ephesians 1:4) ( LG 39). Although there are many different gifts and vocations in the Church, no one can escape the call to holiness. We might be tempted to differentiate priests and religious from laity and to think that the laity are just ordinary folk who have no special calling. We do not want to down play the unique call to holiness of bishops, priests and deacons, or of those who live as religious. Yet these callings do not let ordinary Catholics off the hook. There are no exclusions from the call to holiness. As the fathers note, The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is onethat sanctity which is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who obey the voice of the Father and worship God the Father in spirit and in truth (LG 41).

Perhaps the most misunderstood of notion of holiness is its application to the lay faithful. In the Decree of the Apostolate of the Laity, the council fathers note: In the Church there is a diversity of ministry but a oneness of mission. Christ conferred on the Apostles and their successors the duty of teaching, sanctifying, and ruling in His name and power. But the laity likewise share in the priestly, prophetic, and royal office of Christ and therefore have their own share in the mission of the whole people of God in the Church and in the world. They exercise the apostolate in fact by their activity directed to the evangelization and sanctification of men and to the penetrating and perfecting of the temporal order through the spirit of the Gospel. In this way, their temporal activity openly bears witness to Christ and promotes the salvation of men (AA 2).

The lay faithful are to be like leaven in the midst of the world. Our daily work then can be a means of our personal sanctification; a means of sanctifying others and a means of bringing about the sanctification of the whole world. One modern Saint who has emphasized these ideas is St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei.

At his canonization, Pope John Paul II called him the Saint of Ordinary Life. Saint Josemaría repeatedly emphasized: you have to sanctify your work, be sanctified in your work, and sanctify through your work. He noted that work is the hinge on which our calling to holiness is fixed and turns (Friends of God, n. 62). For the lay faithful, holiness begins in the daily grind of our ordinary life.

Holy Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, Pray for us!

CONCLUSION

“Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for words, is the living reflection of the face of Christ. (Novo Millennio Ineunte, no. 7)

Jesus came in human form to show us the way to the Father. As his disciples, we continue on the path he established. In our prayer and worship, we call upon the Father, ask the help of the Holy Spirit, and follow the path of the Lord. More than anything else, our example of holiness leads others to Christ, as we use our God-given gifts to reflect God's holiness in our families, among friends, and at work. When doing so, we reflect the holy face of Christ.

In actuality, everyone, every human being, is made by God to be a saint. In fact, God is longing to make you a saint! He is patiently waiting for you to ask for his help.

Then one can ask: what does it mean to be a saint? The word comes from the Latin word SANCTUS, meaning "holy." To be a saint is to be holy. Specifically, to be a saint is to be in union with God in heaven. God made every human being with the intention that they would be with him in heaven one day. But he gives all of us a choice in the matter: he doesn't force anyone to be with him against his will. This is why hell exists. God predestines no one to go to hell; it is through our committing of mortal sin that we choose to go to hell (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1037). For God "[does not will] that any should perish, but that all should return to penance." (2 Pet 3: 9) Or, as C. S. Lewis put it in his book The Great Divorce, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says... 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it."

This doesn't mean, however, that you need to be the next St. Teresa of Calcutta, or another St. Francis of Assisi or St. Thomas Aquinas. God didn't make you to be another version of someone else: he made you to be you. He created you with a particular, unique calling, or vocation. Discerning and living your vocation is one of the most interesting and exciting aspects of life on earth. It can be a challenge, but it is also a source of profound joy and fulfillment.

Every human being was created by God for union with him. Moving toward perfect union with God is what the spiritual life is all about. In fact, it is what life is all about, period. If this is not the ultimate goal of your life, then maybe it is time for something to change!

"[T]he laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrates the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives." (CCC #901)

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