Holiness and Mission

Holiness is sharing in the communion that exists between Jesus and the Father. The mission every Christian is called to undertake is the very mission of Christ. The mission of Christ was to enable people to share in the communion that exists between Him and the Father—in other words, to share in the holiness of God.

Christ entered this world to establish the Way, the one true Gate that leads to God the Father. Those of us who enter through this Gate are given a holy desire to share this gift of communion with others, because at the heart of divine communion is love, expressed through service and total self-giving.

As we grow in holiness, we grow to become missionaries. We become servants of Christ’s mission and servants of those around us, both near and far. When we share the Good News of salvation with our brothers and sisters, especially those who have not yet known the “only Way,” we serve them. This service is a fitting response to the great mercy and love of God, who saves us and grants us everlasting life.

There is an inseparable link between holiness and mission. Holiness does not exist without mission, and mission does not exist without holiness. Only when we are united to Christ, as branches are united to the vine (John 15:5), can we produce good fruit. Mission is the good fruit we produce when we remain united to Jesus, the true Vine. Jesus warns us that when a branch separates itself from the vine, it withers and dies.

The effectiveness of our mission is determined by our holiness. Holiness is unwavering faith and reliance on the saving power of God. The holiness of a person grows in proportion to his cooperation with grace. Venial sin weakens our relationship with grace, while mortal sin causes us to lose sanctifying grace.

The life that God offers us is supernatural. Therefore, the means to this end are also supernatural. The Sacraments offer us the supernatural grace we need to grow in holiness. No amount of human effort is sufficient to make us holy or obtain eternal life. Only the grace of Christ can make us holy and grant us eternal life.

Grace is the free gift that flows from the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. Yet Christ does not transform us without our cooperation. Our response is to sincerely and consistently choose to serve Christ and Him alone. It is to continually fight the battle against the lusts of the flesh, the lures of the world and the snares of the devil.

Our fallen nature draws us toward self-seeking choices. We need the grace of God to make the right choices. Our choices must lead us toward life. Sin leads us toward death.

Every time we compromise and give in to sin, thinking that God is merciful and will forgive us, we risk losing grace and becoming more vulnerable to greater and more serious sins. The same can happen when we postpone our return to God.

To remain in a state of grace, we must humbly acknowledge our frailty and return to God without delay, especially through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, which Christ Himself established as means of grace.

Mission is also allowing the Holy Spirit within us to move and act freely according to His will. It is the Holy Spirit who turns hearts toward the saving power of Christ. We become instruments of mission not through our own strength, but by remaining united to Christ and allowing His Spirit to work through us.