Saturday, June 23, 2018

On the Call to Holiness in Today's World

We continue to share excerpts from Gaudete et Exsultate:

"At its core, holiness is experiencing, in union with Christ, the mysteries of his life.  It consists in uniting ourselves to the Lord's death and resurrection in a unique and personal way, constantly dying and rising anew with him.  But it can also entail reproducing in our own lives various aspects of Jesus' earthly life: his hidden life, his life in community, his closeness to the outcast, his poverty and other ways in which he showed his self-sacrificing love" (n. 20).

"In the end, it is Christ who loves in us, for 'holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full'" (n. 21).

"What we need to contemplate is the totality of [the lives of the saints], their entire journey of growth in holiness, the reflection of Jesus Christ that emerges when we grasp their overall meaning as a person" (22).

"This is a powerful summons to all of us.  You too need to see the entirety of your life as a mission.  Try to do so by listening to God in prayer and recognizing the signs that he gives you.  Always ask the Spirit what Jesus expects from you at every moment of your life and in every decision you must make, so as to discern its place in the mission you have received.  Allow the Spirit to forge in you the personal mystery that can reflect Jesus Christ in today's world" (n. 23). 

"Let yourself be transformed.  Let yourself be renewed by the Spirit, so that this can happen, lest you fail in your precious mission.  The Lord will bring it to fulfillment despite your mistakes and missteps, provided that you do not abandon the path of love but remain ever open to his supernatural grace, which purifies and enlightens" (n. 24).  

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