Fr. Allain B. Caparas Foundations of Catholic Theology Introduction Fr. Allain B. Caparas Foundations of Catholic Theology

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Universal Call to Holiness Chapter 1

Universal Call to Holiness “You therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” ~ Mt. 5:48

Universal Call to Holiness Journey to perfection/holiness requires both external and interior obedience Commitment to the Church’s precepts and teachings and commitment to personal conversion Commitment to God and commitment to service of others Discovering our vocation is discover what we were created for Holiness requires a true relationship with God Although imperfect, the Church on earth is already endowed with holiness

Images of the Church The Church uses “images” or analogies to help us understand and model for us what it means to be a Holy –to be a Church The Church as a Pilgrim (ND, 861) The Church as the Mystical Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12”12-31)

A call to be a saint… To be holy is to become a saint  Jesus becomes “incarnate” in us through our words and actions To be a saint is to strive to bring and be Christ in our ordinary lives  evangelization When we live the Gospel joyfully and faithfully, we attract others to Christ We are called to be credible and effective witnesses (Phil. 2:14-15) The call to holiness began at our baptism  “priest, prophet, and king” Live always with the ultimate goal of Heaven in our hearts.

Marks of Discipleship We conform ourselves to Christ in word and deed We seek the will of the Father in all things We devote ourselves to God’s glory We seek to love and serve our neighbor We accept the crosses that inevitably comes to us