Call to Holiness

Refer to our Sunday Experience pages to find different prayers to pray as a family sometime during the week as well as setting up a prayer space and other activities as a family.

For the Learn do the following:

1. Watch Video at the top of the page. (if you want more resources, or are interested in learning more about the topic click on the Extra tab).
2. Click on the appropriate grade for your child.
3. Read the "relates to..." section at the beginning.  This is helpful to understand what to convey to your child is important about this lesson.  It will        help make the lesson both an intellectual and a lived lesson.
4. Read through and familiarize yourself with the sample script. 
5. Teach your child the lesson, either using your own words or the sample script.
6. Either discuss the questions with your child (best option), or have your child write out answers to the questions.
7. Have your child do the activities and/or do the activities with them.  
8. If working with a parish return the appropriate material in the way they have requested.

All Content for "The Way", Learn, is original content and copyright of the Diocese of Kalamazoo and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without prior written consent of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.   © 2020 Diocese of Kalamazoo

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is the one who sent us the Holy Spirit so that God could be with us forever. Jesus wants us to be Saints and sends His spirit to help us.

Relates to my Faith: We need to know the Holy Spirit and ask for His help so that we can be holy.  We must know that God wants us to be holy and gives us what we need to be holy.

Sample Script:

In the very first words of the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, we hear what is called the Creation Story. In the Creation Story, God is creating the sun and moon, the water and land on Earth, the plants and the animals to name a few things. Finally, on the last day of creation, God makes humans when He makes Adam and Eve. And as the first humans, Adam and Eve are considered the parents of the human race in that they hand things down to all people that come after them.

Unfortunately, one of the things handed on down from Adam and Eve is sin, or the giving in to desires and temptations that are against God’s love and plan for us. Like any time we disobey our mom and dad, we feel and know that what we did was not right; that this thing we did is not the way that things are supposed to be. This disorder that is experienced is a result of the Original Sin Adam and Eve committed when they disobeyed God.

But by no means is everything lost! One great lesson that we learn from Adam and Eve is the reality that when God created our original parents, He created us very good, the pinnacle or height of His creation. What makes us so special is that God created us in His image and likeness, that we might be able to receive God’s love by being in relationship with Him, offering our own love back to God. Being able to know and love God leads us to want to serve God and to be like Him, to be His children, just as we are children to our parents.

This desire to be like God is truly an encouragement by the Holy Spirit that urges us to seek to live lives that our holy. God, who Himself is all holy, wants us as His children to experience everything that He is. God wants us to know what love is, what is good, and true, and beautiful. He wants us to experience these things in this life, which gives us a taste of what they will be like forever in Heaven. It is important to say that all the good that we experience in life is a small sample of the perfect and eternal and full offering of love that awaits us in Heaven.

It is then important for you and I to be practicers of the good and to an example of love to our family, friends, neighbors, and classmates. When we practice being holy, we live the life God wants us to live. We also show others that they are special and are worthy of God’s love and you then let your family and friends see the good and loving things that are present in their life. Finally, one really cool thing about living holiness is that we get to do things that the Saints did – worship God by our life, pray and work with others, perform superhero-like works of helping someone in need. The Saints are holy people that get to live with God forever in Heaven. When we are holy, we are on the same path as them!

Questions:

Looking at all of creation, how special are humans?

What is a thing or two humans can do that animals cannot do?

Who encourages us to be holy?

What does living a holy life look like?

How do the Saints help us to be holy?

Activities:

As a family, discuss characteristics common in a holy life. Talk about what you are already doing and pick out one thing that you could all work on together.

Draw a picture of what Heaven looks like. What are some of the traits people who live there share?

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, we know there is a trinity because of Jesus’ revelation.  This shows us that God must be love (that is what binds the trinity) and reveals all of Jesus’s actions within a familial relationship of God.

Relates to my Faith: There is only one God, we do not worship multiple gods, or seek God as a genie, but go to the one who created all things and shows us what love is.

Sample Script:

When God created humanity, He created us for a divine purpose. God is love, through and through, meaning that the only thing that God can do is love. So when we were created in His image and likeness, we were created to bring God’s image and likeness into a world that can often forget about the existence of the loving God. Further, even though we hold within us the image of God, we also carry within us an uneven heart that can be more focused on oneself than on God, allowing us to not recognize the image of God that is before me. I think that we all can think of times when we haven’t realized the image of God within me and that is within others.

So what is one to do? We need to seek to strive after and live holy lives. When we embrace and take on God’s desire for holiness in our life, we are saying to God that I want to be like you, I want to live a life full of love for others that seeks to know the good, true, and beautiful. We recognize the blessing that comes from God for trying to stay close to God and communicate His loving presence for the world to encounter. We recognize within ourselves a growing desire to be in deeper and deeper relationship with God and do holy things not just for ourselves but for God and others as well.

Once our quest for holiness comes to this level of putting the needs of God and others before our own, we are living lives that look very much like the lives of the saints. An important trait of the saint is that he or she seeks to conform or model his or her will after the example given by Jesus. The more we seek to live out this holiness in our life, the more we recognize the things in our life that we need to work on or change so we can continue to grow closer to God.

This is the challenge of desiring to live a life of holiness. It is a life-long process and journey! I have always found it interesting to think about that Pope Francis or Bishop Bradley or your parish priest are still on the journey to holiness. This is encouraging in at least two ways; one, you are never alone on this journey to be holy. Sometimes it might seem like you are the only trying, but know that there are a whole bunch of people trying to walk the journey to be closer to God. And two, no matter your age or education or vocation in life, our work towards holiness is an ongoing, daily, moment-by-moment commitment that truly takes a life time to figure out. The most important thing to do is to continually reach out to the Holy Spirit and ask for the grace to stay the course.

Questions:

We are created in the image and likeness of God. How can we lose sight of this image?

What are some things you notice about living a holy life?

What is commonly found in the lives of saints in regard to holiness?

Why is seeking holiness a journey?

Name some things that are important to remember on the journey.

Activities:

Draw a picture of a girl or boy on a journey. Draw/write what are some of the things needed in order to pursue holiness well and also label spots along the journey in which you’d use these things and how?

As a family, discuss ways that together you could help one another achieve holiness.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Following Jesus assures us that we have the prime example of holiness that would serve as the best mold for our intellect.

Relates to my Faith: The witness of Jesus for us is the witness that we need to share throughout our own relationships and interactions. The power of a life lived in witness of Jesus is an incredible evangelization tool.

Sample Script:

We all know that the choices we make often do not only have an effect on my life, but my choices often have an effect on another person’s life. I think we learn this very fast if we are blessed to have siblings. When I make a choice to watch a particular television show on the one television in the house, quite often this will be met with the comment, “I don’t want to watch that show”. A discussion should take place next to settle on this television show or work together on agreeing to watch a different one, however wrestling matches seem to be more common place resulting in nobody getting to watch television.

God has blessed each and every human with the gift of reason and an intellect to not only make choices but to think through our choices in terms of good or bad, right or wrong and consider the consequences of whatever decision it is that we make. We are called to use this gift well and to practice this in our day-to-day interactions. When we use the gifts of our mind appropriately we find that life is a little more peaceful, opening us to receive God’s blessing for being good stewards of what He has given to us.

And because God created us good and desires us to be like Him who is all good, He wants us to use our minds and hearts and bodies to always choose the good. God wants us to continue to grow each day in our understanding of what it means to be good, forming and shaping our minds and hearts to always have what is good right in front of us so we don’t fall off the path by making bad choices.

Bad choices, unfortunately, will be made. We don’t live in a perfect world and of course, each of us is not perfect in the choices we make. Sometimes bad choices will be made. We are blessed to have the same God who rejoices in choosing the good also rejoicing in the person who makes the bad choice and does their best to fix it. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24) gives us the familiar image of the father (to represent God) running out to meet his returning son (you and I) from his many bad choices, who wants to get back on the correct path.

So our good choices tend to keep us on the path that is put before us in God. This path is one that leads to holiness; it is a path that seeks the good of God in and through our life, building up and sustaining our relationship with Him and bringing us to where we are called to be. When we intentionally make and live in our bad choices we tend to stay stuck in a life centered on our own wants and desires, which is apart from God and our call to holiness, hurting our relationship with God. To choose the good is to choose God and to choose what is best for us. What is your choice?

Questions:

Why did God give us an intellect and the ability to reason?

What are some ways you can help train your intellect in recognizing the good?

How does God deal with us after our bad choices?

What about the Prodigal Son story stands out most to you?

Why would a person want to deliberately make a bad choice?

Activities:

As a family, consider some ways that you can help one another in making good choices. Consider practicing and modeling praying before family decisions and discuss how this model can be used in individual decisions.

As a family, read the Prodigal Son passage together and discuss the traits you see in the characters of the story.

Relates to Jesus: The primary vocation to which Jesus calls us is the Call to Holiness, that is, to follow God's command to, "Be Holy for I am Holy" (1 Pt 1:16). Jesus is our model of holiness. We must look to him, seek dialogue with him in prayer, and follow his example, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (-Mt 11:29)

Relates to my Faith: If I expect to enter the domain of the perfect and eternal abiding love of God called Heaven--the destiny for which God created us--we must "be Holy for God is Holy". The Saints show us this is entirely possible. It is not an easy road, not for the faint of heart, and will require God's grace to get us through. We can expect to fall many times, but in the sacraments, especially Reconciliation, Christ has given us the means to start fresh as often as necessary.

Sample Script: By creating each and every one of us in His image and likeness, God has gifted us with our own combination of unique gifts and talents that when used in accord with what God wants for us, we bring Him great glory and honor and praise. God wants us to experience the life that He has. God wants us to live fully in the peace and joy of love for all the days of our lives.

This desire of God to live a life like His, shows God’s desire for us to be holy. He wants us to live lives of holiness. Every single soul is created with this desire and call from God. Our loving God wants to have a deep relationship with every single person. That is so truly amazing to think about! God doesn’t create anyone as an accident or a mistake or unwanted; He creates each soul out of love and to experience the best things that life has to offer.

God’s call for each person to be holy is called the vocation to holiness. A vocation, or calling, is what God is asking of you in your life. A vocation is where, using all your gifts and talents in an ordered way for the glory of God, you’ll find peace in your life and will ultimately be happy. So, we know that God gives everyone the call to holiness, to be lovers of God and neighbor, to seek good and avoid evil, and to serve others in love so as to invite them into a deeper relationship with God. In addition to the call to holiness, each person is given their own specific vocation in which they are called to serve God and serve others in an explicit way. Most often, this specific vocation is seen through the Sacraments of Service within the Church, namely the Sacrament of Matrimony and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Within the Sacrament of Matrimony, or marriage, the man and woman give of themselves in total self-sacrificing love so that they serve one another and their family all the days of their lives. Within the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the man who is ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ gives of himself in total self-sacrificing love so that the people of God may be served all the days of his life. Both of these Sacraments support the particular vocation, showing God’s personal blessing on the woman or man responding to the vocational call from Him.

For those who aren’t married or are not ordained, these souls either find themselves preparing to live out their vocation, still discerning or deciding what it is that God might be calling them to do in their lives, or living a life of generous service towards God and others. Still others might not have any concern for their vocation and we should pray for all souls to genuinely seek God to ask Him and to be open to Him to show them their vocation, which ultimately leads one to be happy in this life.

God wants each of us to be happy in this life. He gifts us with a vocation so that we can live in the happiness He desires for us. Again, God created us and knows us better than anyone else, so we can have confidence that our vocational call will bring us to a place of happiness and peace.

Questions:

Why is it important to know that God created us?

What is the vocation that every single person shares?

What are the two major vocations God calls people to?

How are the Sacraments of Service similar to each other?

What should we do for souls that still are looking for happiness?

Activities:

Have you ever thought about or prayed about your vocation? Think about the gifts and talents you have. When you use these, how do these give glory to God? How might God be calling you to use these to tell others about Him?

Ask your mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, your parish priest how they came to discover their vocation of either Matrimony or Holy Orders. Listen to their stories and take note how God was working in their lives. How do you see God working in your life?

Sample Script:

In God’s creation of humanity, He created us all intentionally and out of love. God created us not to wander around aimlessly but for a reason, for a purpose. Life itself thus has a purpose for the individual and life here calls for a certain level of engagement so as to learn about ourselves, learn about others, and learn about God. We recognize within ourselves and see in the others a thirst to explore and come to understand the world around in an effort to discover with the purpose of this life is.

Further, this desire to explore and encounter the purpose of this life often brings us to consider other questions such as; “Who gave us a purpose?” and “How do I fulfill this purpose?”. We realize that this desire is something that is innate within us, causing us to continually reach out to fulfill the yearning. We long to know and explore and understand the world around us. We seek to encounter more and more the things that inspire the beautiful and the true. We want to find peace and seek love and to grasp the things that money cannot buy and store cannot manufacture.

We eventually come to the answer that all of these things have an origin and are founded at a point which is their source; the same source from which we are created in love. God gives us the purpose and the reason for life and thus gives us the desire, written on our human heart, to pursue these greater goods of life. By reaching for these things, and seeking to find fulfillment, we come to understand that it is God who is calling us to encounter Him. The desire He places on our heart is for us to return to Him and to be brought close in relationship shows God’s intention that not a single one of us be apart from Him.

God desires thus that we be Saints, practicing living like a saint during our earthly life by seeking holiness so that we can spend eternity as a Saint living the fulfillment of our desire with the One who desires to be with us. Embracing our desire to live and love as God does consists in living an intentional life of practicing virtue. Virtues are those good habits that allow us to lead a good life centered on God and rightly ordered toward the self and others. Virtues are found in many different forms, but foundational for our Christian life is what are referred to as the theological virtues and the cardinal virtues.

The three theological virtues (often referenced, love is mostly covered, in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 13) are faith, hope, and love. These three are virtues that are given by God and help the individual to not only live but to reflect God is his or her life. These graces are still needed to be sought after and lived out with intention, finding any opportunity to practice these.

The four cardinal virtues consist of temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude. These four virtues are the foundational virtues that allow other virtues in one’s life to grow and blossom. Operating with these virtues consists of time and practice that order your mind and heart toward the good and develop your will to act on these as second nature.

Questions:

What is the main cause and focus of all of our desires?

Why does God desire to be with us now, during our earthly lives?

Name the three theological virtues.

Name the four cardinal virtues.

God created us _______________ and __________________.

Activities:

Discuss, as a family, what are the things you desire most? How do these desires point you to God?

Talk and share, as a family, some of the virtues you recognize in your favorite Saints. Discuss what virtues you can work on together as a family.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus, as fully God and fully man, shows us the supreme example of how to live a holy life. The cardinal virtues form the foundation to live and act as Jesus did.

Relates to my Faith: Striving to live a virtuous life orders us to be the holy daughter or son that we are called to be and inspires others to live virtuously as well.

Sample Script: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in paragraph 1803, states that “a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.” The practice of and living a life of virtue is the hallmark of someone seeking holiness. Doing the work of living and striving to live virtuously is to intend to live like God.

Looking at the four cardinal virtues, also referred to as the foundational pieces that help to form the human virtues, these are praised for the pivotal role they play in the formation of man. Human virtues in general form attitudes, dispositions, and habits of intellect and will that shape and guide the man to be morally sound and trustworthy in matters great and small. These four foundational virtues are as follows:

Prudence seeks the good in every moment and decision and offers the best way to go about carrying out the good. Prudence has been said to be the driver of all the virtues, balancing our decisions to neither be excessive or deficient. An example here might include the sixth grade student who is hungry an hour before football. Mom brings home an 8 slice pizza. Prudence says to eat 3 pieces to sufficiently full and satisfy and nourish to get through practice. Deficiency says to not eat anything, going hungry and not having sufficient energy for football. Excess says to eat 7 pieces and get uncomfortable and sick during football. Prudence seeks the safe middle way, which is the path to virtue.

Justice seeks to give God and others their due in a consistent manner. Justice before God consists in following the precepts of the Church, going to Mass on Sunday and going to Reconciliation at least once a year, to name a few. Justice to one’s neighbor seeks after the common good which truly seeks to treat others as they are to be treated, namely in love and respect. It is the will of justice to give other’s their due under the loving mission of God.

Fortitude seeks to stand firm in convictions that are in line with the good. Standing up for what you believe in in the face of adversity or hostility or even death show a soul who is strong in the virtue of fortitude. Fortitude is a model virtue for any one wanting to learn more and emulate the martyred saints. Imagine, standing before the many different types of instruments used to kill the countless number of men and women and children, imagine the virtuous strength to look past the executioner, the pain, and the death and to be able to confidently choose Jesus Christ and His Church… Fortitude is a powerful gift.

Temperance seeks to balance the desire for and the use of material goods and earthly pleasures. Temperance keeps the order of our passions and thus helps us to obtain correct focus on the areas of our life. The virtue of temperance reminds us to see the good in all things and to use these things in their proper context. We are reminded that God is to be the center of our lives, with everything else finding it’s proper place in our lives only once this principle is adhered to.

From these foundational virtues spring forth any number of virtues that help to order and perfect the life of man. The cardinal virtues are the pillars that direct us in living good, moral lives. These virtues are supported by and enhanced by the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love.

Questions and Activities

What is a virtue?

How do you define and practice prudence?

What does justice look like in reference to God? In reference to others?

What does fortitude look like?

Describe temperance.

Activities:

Name a virtue that you can work on together as a family. How do you plan to work on it?

Pick out one of the cardinal virtues and commit a month of your life to daily practice this virtue with your family, friends, etc. Keep track of things that you did and any inspirations you experienced during the process.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is the source from which all virtue flows. Striving for and practicing the theological virtues help us to live the divine life of grace that Jesus desires us to have.

Relates to my Faith: Our faith details in both Scripture and Tradition the importance of virtue. Intentionally seeking faith, hope, and love keeps on the path to finding happiness and peace in our life.

Sample Script: The foundation of all things that are created find their beginning in God. This is true also for the virtues. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and love are gifts from God that He offers for the betterment of humanity. Upon receiving these virtues, the Christian is afforded these supernatural gifts so that he or she can experience closeness in relationship with the Trinity. The moral life inspired by the virtues causes the presence of God to be active in the world. The theological virtues afford a direct encounter with God that brings others closer to Him in relationship.

The theological virtues are supernatural as these are truly gifts given to the individual to experience the accompaniment of the Trinity. God’s desire is to be with His people and avail Himself to them, walking with men and women as they journey through this life. The individual in turn is called to receive these and practice these daily in his life. We should pray for the grace to be inspired by these virtues and live our life with the theological virtues guiding us daily.

The theological virtue of faith tells us that there is a God and that we can place our belief in Him. Throughout revelation, God has communicated His love and truth to us, showing His commitment to unity with humanity. As stated in general with the virtues, the virtue of faith demands a response on our part. When we come to realize that God is, and that He is hoping for a deep relationship with us, our response back to our Creator is one of belief in the truth presented before us. Further, this gift of faith is not to be kept just for ourselves but rather lived and proclaimed so other might come to the faith. To not share the gift of faith that has been given us is to be misusing the responsibility entrusted to us and ultimately shows a lack of depth in our faith. "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32-33).

The theological virtue of hope shows us our desire for everlasting happiness and fulfillment resides in the ultimate goal of bringing forth the Kingdom of God. Hope relies not on our own strength but on the grace of the Holy Spirit to place our will secondary to that of the will of God. The virtue of hope helps to order our activities and place things in the proper perspective (boy, that football game was great but I can’t wait to worship God at Mass tomorrow). Hope is important as the virtue offers refuge during times of doubt and discouragement. The virtue of hope affords the soul a reminder of its ultimate purpose and provides a light even when the darkness of life seems to surround everything. Hope is something that we should always implore and reach out for throughout our life.

The theological virtue of charity shows that we love God above all things and that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Charity allows us to act just as God acts, for in our charitable service towards others we show people a glimpse of the living God, who loves His own and loves them until the end (cf. John 13:1). The virtue of charity gives God His proper due, returning the love God has shown us freely. It is the greatest of all the virtues, fulfilling all the law and all the commandments. It allows us to live out the Beatitudes and live as an authentic witness as a disciple of Jesus Christ and His Church. Charity is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that leads to peace, joy, and mercy, which invites others into relationship with God by enlivening the lives of those that charity touches. Finally, charity is the one virtue that will endure for all eternity. Being a sampling in this life, charity resides in its fullness with God, who is charity through and through.

Questions:

Where do the theological virtues come from?

What are two or three things you can name about these theological virtues?

Describe the virtue of faith.

Describe the virtue of hope.

Describe the virtue of charity.

Activities:

Have a discussion with your family about faith, hope, and love. What is something you each learned about these virtues?

On a sheet of paper, write out what each virtue tells you about God. How do you, in your practice of these virtues, allow others to see God in you when you relate to them?

Relates to Jesus: Jesus loves everybody and this love keeps Him ever-present to the moment which allows Him to listen and be with people now. Jesus doesn't just lead by example but also by walking with you and me so that we can come to know more about Him.

Relates to my Faith: We are called to share the faith in love and example with all that we meet, so that the presence of God might be made available for all to encounter and to seek more completely in the Church.

Sample Script: Our lives are meant to be lived to the full. God creates us out of love to share this life with Him and with others that we experience. We are called to discover our life’s direction and purpose by discovering our gifts and talents and putting these to use to build-up the awareness of God and proclaim Him to all. Coming to realize that God is the giver of all these gifts and recognizing the peace and joy that accompanies us for using our gifts for the glory of God, we desire to offer more and more to God in order to be like Him. This desire for holiness calls us forward in life to experience and explore what else God might be offering us in this life.

The desire to be more and more like God draws us to consider a life where each moment becomes an opportunity to grow closer to Him. We seek here to live a life centered in the virtues. With virtues, we are given the explicit chance to practice and begin to form as habit our life around the constant model of Jesus Christ. By practicing and living the cardinal and theological virtues, we grow deeper in modeling ourselves after our Lord, and in becoming more like Him, invite others whom we come around to be more like Him.

The more we look like Jesus Christ in how we act and live, the more we grow in holiness and live out our vocation to be holy. This vocation or calling to be holy is given to us to experience the life God desires for us. Fulfilling this vocation brings forth gifts that unite us to God and draws us to reach out more sincerely to those around us.

Here, we recognize the desire of God to reach out to every person so that they might encounter the love that flows forth in over abundance. Through the fullness of revelation seen in His Son Jesus Christ, who is the Good Shepherd, the love for the one lost soul or the one soul left behind shows that God is willing to go to totally irrational lengths to keep all of His children together as one. What a powerful message for each of us to hear! The all-powerful God desires that each precious soul, that every unrepeatable human person, be so loved and cared for that not a single one of them be lost. This is true for all of us, no exception!

You and I must be proclaimers of this great message of evangelization! We need to be the herolds that go forth to the world around us proclaiming that even though we fell from God’s grace due to our sin, God continued to call out to us through many which culminated in the sending of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus came to show us the face of the Father and to save us from our sins through His passion, death, and resurrection. Even though we rejected Jesus, and still reject Him through our sins, restorative grace exists in the Church through the Holy Spirit who continually calls us to love God and love neighbor. This Gospel message, the Kerygma, is the central story of our faith that connects personally to God and the Church.

This message of evangelization is always a message given in love, not with force or any other kind of negative intent. Jesus Christ always invites and you, by living a holy life modeled after the virtues, will proclaim the truth to the other through your loving witness. This witness could be the invitation that draws a person to relationship with you and with Jesus. Here, doors are open to proclaim the Kerygma message and in time, yield a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ that inspires a soul to unite with Him through the Sacraments of the Church. This is how we are to go about continuing the work of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel to all nations (cf. Matthew 28:16-20).

Questions:

Where does the desire for holiness ultimately come from?

How are we to practice and grow in holiness?

How does holiness help us to discover our vocation?

Why is the Kerygma so important?

How does the call to evangelize challenge you?

Activities:

Together, with your family, practice learning the Kerygma.

Together, as a family, discuss how the call to evangelize is a challenge for you? What is one thing you could do to have this feel like less of a challenge?

Extra Material (References and deeper study)

Catechetical References: CCC nos. 823-829; 915; 2012-2016; 2028; 2545

Scriptural References: Mt. 5:48; Mt. 5:20; Gen 17:1; Lev 11:44-45, 19:2; 20:7; Dt 18:13; 2 Sam 22:31; Is 35:8; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 5:1; 1 Pt 1:16 

3 Minute Theology: Universal Call to Holiness (Diocese of Nashville): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXd9rEKsyv8&ab_channel=3MinuteTheology           (2 min:57s)
Bishop Barron on the Universal Call to Holiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOTfpHvfC3U&ab_channel=Filipinovoice (6 min 50 sec)

Fr. John Hollowell, Archdiocese of Indianapolis: The Universal Call to Holiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY3x5EQKycs&ab_channel=FatherJohnHollowell (17 min 51 sec)

Extra Narrative (For deeper study) 

Because every human being is created by God “in his image and likeness” (Gen 1:28) for the eternal destiny of participating in the joy of his infinite divine love, every human being is called to holiness. The striving for personal and radical holiness by the average lay person (i.e., the regular Catholic in the pews) was understood in the early Church. This was most likely because all were yet within close proximity to Our Lord’s time on earth and because of the persecutions of the Roman emperors where life and death could depend on the public profession of the Faith. When death stares us in the face, things that do not matter in life tend to shrink to insignifiance, while the living out of one’s Faith, not just in one’s mind, and daily actions, but in the intimacy of one’s relationship with Christ rises to the highest importance. 

When we consider what holiness means, the Church understands it in two ways, one. That we are consecrated, that is, set apart for God. This occurs because we are made in the image and likeness of God and requires no work on our part. The second way, the Church understands holiness is the perfection of life which Christ tells us we must achieve to enter heaven. This second meaning, requires a transformation of human thinking, what St. Paul calls, “metanoia” (Rom 12:2). It also seems pretty intimidating, and, quite frankly, impossible. Moreover, if we think we can become perfect on our own power, we can completely forget it. The sense of that verse in Mt 5:48, however, is that “we must be perfected”. This is an action that is done upon us, not in a passive way, but in cooperation with God’s grace and purifying action in our lives. We only have to look at the lives of the thousands of canonized Saints in the Church to have faith and trust that Christ can make us perfect, and that he is not only willing to, but greatly desires to. Of course, this takes an attitude of faith, trust, willingness, self-denial of our inordinate desires, and that charity and generosity towards others needs that incorporate the Works of Mercy.  

  But isn’t holiness just for priests and nuns? That was the old mentality, wasn’t it? So, why the emphasis on a “universal” call to holiness? The fathers of the Second Vatican reclaimed that to which Jesus called all those would be his disciples: a lived, personal holiness that would serve as an example of love in action (charity) to others in the world, that they too, might see the love God has for all of us. So, what happened that we lost the idea that all are called to holiness of life?  

Human nature mirrors the natural world in such a way that we will follow the path of least resistance. By the time we reached the 19th century, especially here in America, the land of the rugged individualist, few felt a need, let alone knew how anymore, to rely on God’s divine providence and care. The attitude of “God helps those who help themselves” became the order of the day. By the 20th century, the spread of atheistic philosophies and ideologies turned into world wars.

Then came the Vatican Councils. The First Vatican Council, held in 1870, was the first council of the Church held in over 300 years and the first of the industrialist age. It convened in the middle of the unrest and conflicts between the Vatican City States and a budding secular Italy. It was the Church’s first attempt to address the ills and issues of modern times, including the heresy of modernism which sought to explain the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, as well as metaphysical understanding about the Eucharist and the other sacraments, in terms of natural observable and secular methods and philosophies of science that excluded any believable possibility that God would suspend the laws of nature in his sacramental realities such as transubstantiation. However, because local conflicts prevented magisterial authorities from attending the council, it was cut short, and its work remained unfinished for 90 more years. 

       Finally, in October 1962, Pope Saint John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council with a view to begin the completion of the work of Vatican I putting the language and teachings of the Church into language that people of contemporary times could understand as well as to address new problems that arose as a result of new technologies. In what is largely recognized as the most important document of the Council entitled, Lumen Gentium (a.k.a., The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church), considerable effort was spent on laying the groundwork for and rebuilding from scratch in language developed over two centuries of Church teaching what Jesus taught: that all, every created person, is called to a perfection of life, as God is perfect (Mt 5:48), to be holy as God is holy. A lofty goal indeed. 

In fact, though many people may think they are perfect, we repeat here that it is not possible to become perfect as God is perfect without the work of God himself, most especially through the Holy Spirit, “through whom all things are possible”. 

So, how do we accomplish this life of holiness? 

It is by virtue of our baptism, that God reclaims us, and we become empowered to live as sanctified members of God’s Kingdom. Our baptism does not merely exist in symbolism, but participates existentially in, that is, in the saving reality of, Christ’s passion, death and resurrection and demands of us this living of a life of holiness in what the Church calls the “three-fold mission of the baptismal apostolate”. Referred to simply as “the apostolate”, this three-fold mission is first, a priestly (or sanctifying) mission, secondly, a prophetic (or teaching) mission, and thirdly, a kingly (or governing) mission, and consists in living all aspects of our life with its center reference point being God. It is the “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do) question around which our lives should be centered in all matters. Now let’s look at each mission in greater depth, 

First, we should understand that we live the apostolate each according to our state in life. That means, the apostolate will be lived differently for the bishop, the priest, the married person, the single person, the student, the child, etc.  Let’s look at an example of how it might be applied by comparing two different people. 

A priest or bishop, for instance, lives the priestly or sanctifying mission by fulfilling his sacramental duties of saying Mass, administering the sacraments, and offering prayers for the people of his parish or diocese. He might more perfectly live a life of holiness in that mission by living a life of simplicity or even austerity. He also offers his prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of each day as a spiritual sacrifice for those of his flock. He lives his prophetic mission by preaching and teaching the Gospel and being an authentic witness to Christ’s love by practicing the spiritual and corporal work of mercy either by assisting others directly or by using the resources of his parish or diocese to provide for those in need or want. Thirdly, he lives out his kingly or governing mission or office by leading his parish or diocese in its administration, setting goals, direction, culture, and conditions for fruitful missionary activity.  

The married couple, on the other hand, fulfills their priestly or sanctifying mission by living out a prayer life at home, ensuring their children are baptized or receive other sacraments as appropriate, and attending weekly Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and living more perfectly by perhaps attending Mass during the week, praying the daily Rosary together as a family, taking appropriate times to go to Eucharistic adoration, or make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament or visit a shrine or place of pilgrimage as a family. They live out their prophetic or teaching mission by educating their children in the Catholic faith, teaching them how to interact as ladies and gentlemen in their own homes with their brothers and sisters and in public. Teaching them respect for God and how to pray and rely on him, how to recognize their gifts and talents, and use them in his service. Lastly, in their kingly or governing mission, parents must administer their household in a way that provides order, purpose, and mission. Children are assigned tasks and chores as appropriate to their age and abilities. Appropriate supervision is administered. Correction is done with charity and love and creativity while seeking to minimize the emotion caused by the stress of the moment--which are plenty. Reconciliation and forgiveness occur mutually (by both or all parties) after arguments. They pray for one another’s growth in holiness and well-being or whatever else is needed, etc.   

If we are completely honest with ourselves, we know in our hearts that any failure to live a life of holiness on our part or lack of desire to reference our decisions on the question, “What would Jesus do?” is because we don’t want to. It is because we want to exercise the will of the unholy, selfish trinity: “Me, Myself, and I”. This radical selfishness is at the heart of the consequences of Original Sin. It is concupiscence, that is, our tendency to do that which we ought not do, at work. Oddly enough, this radical selfishness is based on a good, the good of the exercise of free will that God endowed upon each human being. However, when we do that which we ought not do, and not that which God desires we do, we reject God to our detriment. If we obstinately continue in that vein, we may risk the loss of the desire to ever be reconciled with God which can ultimately lead us to the permanent separation that we will experience in Hell. The taking for granted that God’s grace will save us while continuing to live selfishly is the sin of presumption.   

Recalling that the chief punishment of Hell is eternal separation from God’s love, we should understand that Hell is our choice. Though many bury their heads in false notions of the afterlife or deny it completely, Jesus reveals that there are only two alternatives at life’s completion here on earth, salvation or eternal suffering in Hell. Thus, the only real choice which will lead to eternal happiness is to strive for the perfection of holiness to which God calls us.   

When we seek to live a life of perfection in holiness, we should turn to the example of Jesus and the Saints, beginning with the Blessed Mother of God, Mary Most Holy. While it can be argued that because Mary was conceived without stain of Original Sin, she had some major advantages over the rest of us, we must not forget that before the Fall, so did Eve. Thus, from the beginning, all humankind, even Jesus in his human nature, was vulnerable to the temptations of sin. We tend to greatly underestimate the radical corruption of our being that Original Sin brought and our own sins bring to us. Although Mary was still subject to all the temptations of sin, she chose not to give in to them. This victory of Mary over sin reversed the sin of Eve, just as the victory of Jesus over sin and consequential taking on the punishment of death due to all our sins, reversed the sin of Adam. Thus, Mary remains our model of holiness. We think of her perfections and we ask her intercession to assist us in becoming perfected. Furthermore, there are many Saints, even contemporary Saints or Saints not that far removed from our times, that give us practical advice on how to live lives of holiness in the circumstances of our lives. The book by Saint Francis de Sales, entitled, The Devout Life, and The Autobiography of St. Therese of Liseux are highly recommended reading that gives simple formulations and very practical advice on how to live lives of holiness. For those that want to go deeper, the works of St. Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross and more contemporarily, The Diary of St. Faustina, are highly recommended.  

Finally, there are many paths to holiness, but holiness is always lived out in the arena and practicality of one’s individual circumstances. This applies to the monk living in the community of a monastery, a husband or wife who lives their lives at work and at home with many or no children, the single college student, or the prisoner making atonement for a crime committed. In any situation, we must invite God into our hearts to be the artisan who molds us, the clay. In so doing,by desire, patience, persistence in our efforts and by degrees, we can have hope and confidence that we will be perfected in holiness.