Last week I began a blog post series about something every Catholic should know – the marks of the Church. Today, we will look at the second mark, which says the Church is holy.
Source of holiness
The Church is holy because Jesus, who founded her, and the Holy Spirit, who dwells in and guides her, are holy. In the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, it explains that “The Church is holy, not because all her members are supposedly holy, but rather because God is holy and is at work in her” (YouCat 132). This is part of the “mystery” of the Church, that although comprised of sinners, she remains holy, sanctified by Christ. The Catechism refers to this as the “real, though imperfect” sanctity of the Church (CCC 825). Even if members and clergy within the Church are corrupt, the Church can never be corrupt. In fact, in the Catechism we read that the Church is “unfailingly holy” (CCC 823).
Whose purpose is to lead us to holiness
St. Paul wrote in his 1st letter to Timothy, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). He has given us the Church as the means to obtain the salvation He offers and the sanctification to which we are all called.
United with Christ, the Church is sanctified by him; through him and with him she becomes sanctifying. “All the activities of the Church are directed, as toward their end, to the sanctification of men in Christ and the glorification of God.” It is in the Church that “the fullness of the means of salvation has been deposited. It is in her that “by the grace of God we acquire holiness” (CCC 824).
If we think about holiness as being united with Christ, then surely the Church, whom he loves and fills with his spirit, is a means to bring us into a closer relationship with him. Christ has uniquely equipped his bride, the Church, for this purpose. Through the divine grace offered to us in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, we are brought into Communion with Christ.
Examples of holiness
The Church also gives us the saints, ordinary men and women of extraordinary faith, who have lived holy lives, and have been officially recognized by the Church as examples of holiness. But there are many holy people who may never be canonized as saints. Pope Francis, in an address on All Saints Day, said that “the mark of true holiness is living each day as a child of God, imitating both Jesus and the saintly individuals we encounter in the ordinary moments of life.” He focused his comments, not just on canonized saints, but on what he called, “the saints next door” who are “contagious examples of how to live and die in fidelity to the Lord Jesus and his Gospel.”
Takeaway for Teens
As members of the Church, we too are called to be holy. Unfortunately, we rarely see holiness as something attainable for us. Perhaps because it’s unclear what we must do to live holy lives? Does it mean we have to pray all the time and never have any fun?
The acronym WWJD stands for What Would Jesus Do. Since Jesus is our model for holiness, it’s a serious question to ask ourselves. Fortunately for us, Jesus showed us how we can be holy by the way he lived. In fact, you could say that he left us instructions. Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes everything we need to do to live a holy life. He has given us all the answers, all we need to do is look to Christ and imitate him.
But it’s not always easy, which is why God gives us the Church and the Holy Spirit to help guide us to holiness. Receiving the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and praying to the Holy Spirit will help keep us on the right path.
© 2018 Catechist’s Aide
Leave a Reply