The Universal Call to Holiness

The universal call to holiness as a general concept demonstrates that the goal of Catholic life is holiness. Though the nature of holiness is intrinsically a different question, its source is indisputable: we get our holiness from Christ via the Church and its sacraments. This universal call to holiness was defined in the second Vatican Council. Before Vatican II, Catholics had been taught to “pay, pray and obey”, but Vatican II changed everything by defining Catholic life as participating in Christ’s three-fold role as priest, prophet, and king. Striving to be holy does not mean trying to perfect in every sense of the word; rather, it means being in the process of growing into a more intimate relationship with Christ. We must follow the natural law ingrained in our hearts by God, and strive to become spiritually united with Christ. And, just in case there is any ambiguity about natural law, God has codified it into the Ten Commandments and Christ’s New Law of Love. To summarize, the Catholic universal call to holiness prescribes an obligation to follow Christ’s law and try to understand and be in union with God.