The Communion of Saints and the universal call to holiness in the Church

Abstract

Only God is Holy (Ex 19, 5), but He made holiness a gift for His people. The Church assumed this gift and mission by motivating its members to seek the holiness inherent to their nature. It does so through the cult of saints, already present in the first centuries of the Church, as well as through the profession of faith in the Communio Sanctorum of the Apostolic Creed. The Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican II develops the theme of the Communion of Saints, although it does not present it in these terms. With this he wishes to recall the unity of the Church – pilgrim, in need of purification and heavenly – and the universal vocation to holiness of every baptized person. By presenting the saints as brothers and benefactors, the Constitution invites the faithful to commune with the saints through prayer and intercession, as well as through the example of so many men and women who configured their lives to Christ.