The Universal Call to Holiness
As taught in the Catholic tradition
The vocation of every baptized person to the perfection of charity in their state of life.
The central question that the doctrine of the Universal Call to Holiness seeks to answer is simple yet profound: Is the pursuit of sanctity a specialised vocation reserved for a "religious elite"—priests, monks, and cloistered nuns—or is it the fundamental obligation and destiny of every single person who has been baptised into the life of Christ? For centuries, a subtle but pervasive "two-tier" spirituality often dominated the popular Christian imagination. In this framework, the "interior life" and the heights of contemplation were seen as the province of the professional religious, while the laity were expected to follow a "shorter road" of basic moral observance and sacramental participation. However, the Catholic tradition, particularly as articulated in the landmark documents of the Second Vatican Council, forcefully rejected this dichotomy.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the primary scriptural foundations for the universal call to holiness in both the Old and New Testaments.
- **Distinguish** between the "perfection of charity" and a secular understanding of moral "perfectionism."
- **Explain** the historical shift in Catholic theology regarding the role of the laity in the pursuit of sanctity prior to and following the Second Vatican Council.
- **Articulate** the relationship between the sacraments (particularly Baptism and the Eucharist) and the ongoing process of sanctification.
- **Trace** the concept of the "little way" of holiness as proposed by doctors of the Church and modern teachers.
- **Defend** the Catholic reading of "sanctification" as an ontological change in the person through infused grace rather than a mere forensic declaration.
- **Apply** the doctrine of the universal call to holiness to one’s specific state of life (marriage, work, or student life).
- **Compare** the Catholic understanding of the "imitation of Christ" with the emphasis on "imputed righteousness" found in some Protestant traditions.
Scripture
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