Every baptized Christian has a vocation. We are each called to be holy after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ and all the holy women and men who have followed Him during the past 2,000 years. What does it mean to be holy? And why does the Church teach that the call to holiness extends to every Christian, including you and me?
In its fullest meaning, “holiness” means perfection—intellectually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are called to be perfect, the Lord says, “as your heaven Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Perfection is a tall order. We have to grow in holiness over an entire lifetime. And we can never say to ourselves, “OK. Now I have reached perfection. I can stop growing and just stay where I am.” None of the saints were perfect, but they were all growing in holiness.
Holiness means making progress on the path to perfection. And it means growing in wisdom and grace, as Jesus did, by following the example of his parents, teachers, and elders in the faith. Holiness is a dynamic virtue. It is defined by the responses we make to the challenges we face each day. The more we tell the truth, the holier we become. The more we pray, and the more we practice our faith day-in and day-out, the closer we come to being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2015) teaches, “The way of perfection passes by the way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle (cf. 2 Tim 4). Growing in holiness isn’t easy, but with the help of God’s grace, it’s not impossible either.
When will we become holy like the saints? When we choose to let go of our preoccupation with selfish things and begin to make real progress on the journey to heaven. Every one of us is called to achieve our full potential as human persons who are invited to know, love, and serve God. In the end, perfect holiness can only be attained in heaven—when we are united with God and with all our brothers and sisters in the realm of eternal happiness.
For now, we journey toward holiness gradually, one step at a time. In the process, we get better; we grow and change. We resist temptation and we practice the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. On the path to perfection, we encounter the Cross and we suffer, but God’s grace allows us to continue the journey despite every obstacle. We are called to fulfill our most basic vocation—to be responsible stewards of all the gifts God has given us and to follow Christ in our daily lives—not perfectly but as best we can.
As we continue this Easter season, let’s pray that we will continue to make genuine progress toward holiness—one day at a time.
Daniel Conway
