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The universal call to Holiness
Blogged by Ella Preece on 5th March 2010
“"This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Th 4:3). It is a duty which concerns not only certain Christians: "All the Christian faithful, of whatever state or rank, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity"”.
In his letter on the universal call to holiness Pope John Paul II reminds us that all Christians, what ever their position or circumstances in life are called to holiness through living their Christian lives by devoting themselves entirely for God, striving to remove themselves from worldly influences, in particular honing that fruit of the spirit charity.
The call to holiness is not something that is a personal thing, in fact it is assumed that the lay faithful play a fundamental part in “fulfilling the mission of salvation within the Church”. It is through the variety of gifts and talents that are bestowed on individual members that regardless of “rank or status [we] are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity".
This call requires us to place our focus on God, to do God's will by not being influenced by worldly demands but separating ourselves from the world (hagiosyne) by living our lives for God in the way God intended. We do this by placing our trust in Him, giving ourselves to Him (hosiotes). Through our redemption through Christ we cannot refuse this call as Mother Teresa stated "Holiness is not a luxury; it is a necessity."
