In the Creed, faithful Catholics profess to believe in the Holy Catholic Church. This statement is often attacked by non-believers and even by Catholics who have not been taught this doctrine correctly. It is important for us to provide a correct answer when anyone asks, “How can you say the Church is holy?” While there are a number of answers, the traditional catechism provides four essential ones.
“The Church is holy because its founder, Jesus Christ, is holy; because it teaches a holy doctrine; invites all to a holy life; and because of the eminent holiness of so many thousands of its children” (Baltimore Catechism #3, Q. 130).
The Four Marks of the True Church
As we know from our catechism lessons, the four marks that distinguish the true Church established by God from all the imposters are: oneness, holiness, universality, and apostolicity.[1]
In short, the true religion of God must be one. The Church is one because two different bodies of doctrine cannot both be true at the same time. At most, only one can be. It must be holy since Christ our Lord is holiness itself. It must be catholic – meaning, it must be the universal faith established by Christ. And it must be apostolic – meaning, it must stretch back to when Our Lord commissioned the Apostles to “teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Christ Is the Head of His Holy Church
The Church is holy because it teaches holy doctrines and its founder, Jesus Christ, is the source of all holiness (cf. Eph. 5:25-27).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave up His life out of love for the Church, to sanctify her. Christ joined her to Himself. He is the Head, and the Church is the Body of the “whole Christ” (or ‘totus Christus,’ a term coined by St. Augustine). How often when we speak of the Church do we think, ‘I am speaking of the Mystical Body of Christ’? If we thought in these terms more frequently, it would surely be easier to grapple with the mystery of the Church’s holiness – after all, how could any pious Catholic dare say that the Body of Christ is not holy?
The Church Exists In Three States
The Church is also holy because she consists of the Church Triumphant and Church Suffering. Those in Heaven have been perfected and those in Purgatory will never sin again. Very often when people speak of the ‘Church’s sinfulness’ they are only thinking of the Church Militant. We should be quick to remind them that the majority of the Church’s members are in the Triumphant and Suffering parts; these holy ones will forever remain in the Church, whereas those of us living on earth could, God forbid, leave the Church.
Holy Doctrine and Grace
Through and in Christ, the Church in turn sanctifies men. She sanctifies mankind through her pure and holy doctrine, infallibly guarded by the Holy Ghost. There is no other religious body, organization, or individual whose teaching is holier than the Church’s. Anyone who lives in accordance with the Church’s teachings will achieve great holiness. In fact, when we see sin in the members of the Church Militant, it is to precisely to the degree that those members are failing to live in accordance with the Church’s holy teachings. It is irrational to place such a blame on the Church herself.
Yet even more to the point, it is through the administration of Christ’s sacraments that the Church pours sanctifying grace into the souls of men – thereby making them holy. On his natural powers alone, man cannot be holy. Man needs God’s grace. Yet, no other religious body, organization, or individual outside the Catholic Church can administer God’s sanctifying grace!
Many of the Church’s members have achieved sanctity – even in this life. They have done so because they adhered to the Church’s teachings, received sanctifying grace through her, and bore spiritual fruit a hundredfold. In many cases, God has even chosen to suspend the natural laws by working miracles through these holy men and women, testifying to the sanctity of their life.
These reasons alone amply justify the Catholic professing a Holy Church.
The Church Is Holy Even When Her Members Are Sinners
However, there is a genuine paradox between the holiness of the divine dimension and human dimension of the Church. The divine dimension of the Church is holy, but the human members of the Church are sinners. How can this be? This is a deep mystery.
Charles Cardinal Journet provides an insightful explanation on how this paradox can exist:
“The Church contains sinners. But she does not contain sin. It is only in virtue of what remains pure and holy in them that sinners belong to her — that is to say in virtue of the sacramental characters of Baptism and Confirmation, and of the theological habits of faith and hope if they still have them. That is the part of their being by which they still cleave to the Church and are still within her. But in virtue of the mortal sin which has found its way into them and fills their hearts, they belong chiefly to the world and to the devil. ‘He who commits sin is of the devil’ (1 John 3:8).
“Thus, the frontier of the Church passes through each one of those who call themselves her members, enclosing within her bounds all that is pure and holy, leaving outside all that is sin and stain…. So that even here below, in the days of her pilgrimage, in the midst of the evil and sin at war in each one of her children, the Church herself remains immaculate; and we can apply to her quite fully and without any restriction the passage of the Epistle to the Ephesians (cf. 5:25-28).”
Simply put, the Church is holy because Christ is holy. And no matter how sinful her members – even her Popes, Cardinals, bishops, or priests – are, the Church remains immaculate. Let us offer up our Rosaries from time to time for the specific intention of making reparation for the sins of Catholics that cause scandal. May they repent of their sins, seek God’s pardon in the Sacrament of Confession, and strive for greater holiness of life.
The Members of the Church Are Called to Holiness
While this paradox will always exist until the Last Judgment, our goal is nevertheless to live a holy life. Our Lord commands us: “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).[2]
This goal seems impossible. How can a soul be as perfect as God? The answer lies in sanctifying grace. If we are in sanctifying grace, we are truly children of God and pleasing to Him. Everything depends on this. And in this state, we can merit by our good works and make reparation for sins. And by this penance, we can remove the temporal punishment on our souls and thus become holier.
In the state of grace, we can strive to imitate Our Lord and Our Lady. Imitate their virtues. Imitate their holy conduct in life. Spend time each day in mental prayer and liturgical prayer (e.g., the Divine Office and daily Mass). Pray the Rosary, do all of our duties in life with a pure intention, be shining examples of holiness to our neighbors, seek to spread the Faith, observe the traditional days of fasting and abstinence in addition to the meager minimums imposed today, and more. All of these are ultimately means to help us to the goal – living a life of perfection modeled after our Blessed Lord. Remember, Our Lord said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”
The Imitation of Christ
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).
These are the words that begin The Imitation of Christ. This book has been in continuous publication since its first printing in 1472. It was actually composed sometime before that and was compiled by a monk named Thomas À Kempis.
Thomas was born in 1380 in the Netherlands and was taught by a group dedicated to following Christ in everyday life — it was called the Brethren of the Common Life. Thomas copied the Bible four times during his lifetime, prior to the invention of the printing press, and went on to compile this book that has been as nearly widely circulated as the Scriptures themselves.
The book, The Imitation of Christ, contains over 1000 references to Scripture. It is the most widely read book in the world, other than the Bible, and has been published in over 50 languages! It has inspired countless saints, including St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Francis de Sales, and many others. Many practical lessons which Catholics learn about the spiritual life, even as young children, can be found in this masterful work.
If you do not have a copy, buy one and put it near your bed or in your living room. Whether you read in the mornings or the evenings, carve out just 10 minutes a day to read this book. It will have a profound impact on your life and help you to imitate the model of all holiness – our Blessed Lord. If you are asking yourself how you can grow in holiness, there is no doubt you will find an ample number of ideas in this spiritual classic that is written at a reading level for everyone to understand.
END NOTES
[1] There are actually some ‘Catholic’ catechetical programs where it is taught that the Church has “five” marks, the fifth being that she is ‘sinful.’ This is a grave and scandalous error since it goes against the infallible teaching that the Church is holy. It is a hallmark of modernism to maintain conflicting statements as both being true. Thus, it is necessary to clarify and distinguish how the Church is holy and how individual members of the Church Militant are sinful – not the Church herself.
[2] We know the consequences for those who choose to reject the narrow gate is an eternity of separation from God. More on the Four Last Things (e.g., death, Judgment, Heaven, and hell) can be found in the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D51mPpGLxvg&t=3272s