HOLY

If the Church is the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then the Church is, by necessity, not only united as one but is also holy.   It’s not possible to be united to Christ so intimately and, at the same time, to lack holiness.  In fact, the more we sin, the less a member of the Church we become.    So, if we are to become full living members of the Church, then we must individually become holy.  We must become saints!

The heart of holiness is charity.  Therefore, insofar as each one of us grows in charity, we also grow in holiness.  Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is quoted in the Catechism in coming to this discovery:

If the Church was a body composed of different members, it couldn’t lack the noblest of all; it must have a Heart, and a Heart BURNING WITH LOVE.  And I realized that this love alone was the true motive force which enabled the other members of the Church to act; if it ceased to function, the Apostles would forget to preach the gospel, the Martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. LOVE, IN FACT, IS THE VOCATION WHICH INCLUDES ALL OTHERS; IT’S A UNIVERSE OF ITS OWN, COMPRISING ALL TIME AND SPACE—IT’S ETERNAL! (CCC #826)

The story Saint Thérèse tells is a powerful one in her spiritual autobiography.  She shares that she was desirous of fulfilling so many different missions within the Church.  She longed to be a missionary, pondered what it would be like to be a priest, and continued to seek what her role was within the Church, within the Body of Christ.  One day it hit her.  She discovered her mission was to be the heart of Christ, the heart of the Church.  And, in being the heart, she was to be love.  And in being love, she was to be all things. 

Now this is holiness!  And it is this discovery of being love and living love that make the Church truly holy!

Our Blessed Mother is the supreme model of holiness in the Church because she is perfectly filled with love.  Therefore, she is perfectly holy. 

To Be Continued…