Our “Universal Call to Holiness” is the recognition of God’s divine plan for each and every person created in His likeness and image. It is to share the blessing of life and love in abundance and generosity. As we prepare for our calendar New Year we may ask and seek how we can live this call to holiness better this year, month, week and day of our lives.
“‘All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of Charity.’ (Lumen Gentium #31) ‘Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’ (Mt 5:48) God wants us to be holy. One must try to sanctify oneself in one’s place within the Church of Christ.” (p 2260 “Daily Roman Missal”)

Each of us has our story in searching for our call to holiness. I have mine that started as a small boy growing up on a farm in Idaho, making the missteps of youth and young adulthood that too often worked against the call to holiness and finally the long and continual conversion to a life of growing holiness (I hope). I write, “long and continual” because as with all relationships, our relationship with God is not static or final but rather it should be a dynamic and passion filled love drawing ever deeper into the mystery of God’s great love for us.
As a priest I need to be attentive to my relationship with God through His Church and the people who make up the holy people of God. Like any relationship I can and do go through time of great joy and of great sadness. But I am also blessed that in my spousal relationship with God I have literally hundreds (if not thousands) of people to enter into joyful relationships. And of course the opposite is also true. It is from this relationship with the Church that I am able to continually be renewed in my faith and love of God when I choose to be open to hearing God’s words spoken through the blessings and hurts of the people of God. This is my place in the Church.
I also must continually be attentive in my conversations directly with God through prayer and the sacramental life. I know many people think that for priests and religious sisters and brothers this is all we do. Prayer is something that comes easily and because we participate in daily Mass the sacramental life is always positive. Sadly, at least in my case, this is not always true. But just as with any conversation, if we seek love, reconciliation and truth then we try again and again even when the conversations can be dry and even hurtful because we know deep down there is a fountain of holiness and love in the relationship. I hear this most clearly in the praying of the Psalms daily where the emotions of a people seeking God in a turbulent world is prayed out continuously in grace.
In the call to holiness there is also the need to look at how we act upon this call in the works of mercy, charity and hopefulness in our lives. A few years ago Pope Francis gave us a year in which he asked us, as individuals and as Church to evaluate and invigorate our call to holiness in light of the works of mercy. I was certainly blessed in my year of prayer with these works. I saw my strengths and weaknesses placed in front of me as I challenged myself to honestly reevaluate my commitment to serving the Catholic Church. I was surely humbled as I saw the need to change in some aspects of my life and blessed by seeing the good work God has begun in me growing and being fruitful (I hope).
This is the promise to the invitation God offers to each of us at Baptism, to become fruitful in allowing the good work to continue in God’s plan for each of us…to be holy. At ordination it is prayed very starkly when the ordaining Bishop asks for obedience and upon receiving the affirmative reply prays, “May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.”
It is only in obedience to love that we can respond to our call to holiness and celebrate in joy our place within the Kingdom.
In other words…this was a long way to simply ask…What is your New Year’s resolution? Does it help you to grow in holiness?
God Bless
Fr. Mark