 The power to choose what is right—to be holy—comes from the Holy Spirit.  As members of the Church, at Baptism, we are given a share in the life of the Trinity. We received God’s grace.  We receive God’s grace not because we earn it but because God freely gives it to us. IT IS A GIFT!

 Church=body of Christ; all people who work together to carry out God’s will here on earth and in heaven  The Church (capital C) is not a building!!!

 The Church is holy because: › It was founded and redeemed by Jesus › It is guided and given life by the Holy Spirit › Its members are led to be holy like God › Its members participate in Christ’s holy mission of saving all people

 All members of the Church are sinners › We have been saved by Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection but we are still working towards holiness.  Because the Church is holy, there is room for sinners to learn holiness from the Church.

 What does it mean to be holy? › Reflect God’s qualities  These qualities are inherited from:  Our parents  God, in whose image we are made  We are holy when we do the right things, at the right time, for the right reasons.

 The Church is holy in three ways: › Founder › Members › Mission

 The sacraments are one way to participate in the Church’s holiness.  The 7 Sacraments are arranged into three categories: › Sacraments of Initiation  Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation › Sacraments of Healing  Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick › Sacraments at the Service of Communion  Holy Orders, Matrimony

 Scripture: › God communicates to us the truths about himself and His plan of salvation › Reflecting on scripture can strengthen us to accept the challenge of faith and live it more fully

 Saints › Lives are examples of heroic holiness › Show us how to live the gospels › Inspirational and encouraging  Jesus’ Teachings › By reading the Gospels we can come to know how to be holy through Jesus’ teachings  Miracle Stories  Parables  Beatitudes

 Acts of Penance › We are always in need of conversion (turning our lives towards God) › Through penance, we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, we learn to control things in our lives that keep us from God and work to serve others  Examples: prayers, self denial (no cell phone or TV), service, kind deeds for another person, etc.

 Sacramentals › Blessed objects, prayers, or actions that remind us of Christ  Examples: rosaries, medals of saints, blessed ashes, statues, crucifixes, holy water, incense, etc. › As we pray with or use a sacramental, we are reminded of the presence of Christ and drawn closer to Him

 Lives of Priests and Religious › Religious:  Witness to their love for God and others through their vows to a life of service › Priests:  Preach word of God and celebrate the sacraments  By their example they remind others of the value of the spiritual life and life in heaven

 Devotions › Help us to reflect on Christ’s life › Examples: Rosary, Novenas, Way of the Cross  Living a Christian life is about knowing and loving God and entering into a deep, personal relationship with Him. It is about loving others as God loves us

 Everyone is called to be holy.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit help us to grow in holiness and live lives devoted to God.  These are 7 permanent spiritual gifts that we are given at Baptism. They continue to grow and develop in us.  These gifts increase our ability to believe in Jesus, to love and serve God and others, and to avoid sin.

 The Gifts of the Spirit are: › Wisdom › Understanding › Counsel › Knowledge › Fortitude › Piety › Fear of the Lord

 Holy Through Wisdom › Wisdom allows us o put God first and love the things of God › It allows us to see things from God’s point of view and to recognize the sacredness of all people and the real value of things

 Holy Through Understanding › By learning more about your Catholic faith, you can gain insights and understanding into the meaning of life. › We recognize that we are brothers and sisters with the responsibility to care for one another.

 Holy Through Counsel › Counsel=right judgment › This gift helps us know what to do in life, to make good decisions, and to accept our responsibility to care for others. › It also helps us to seek good advice from others and to follow it.

 Holy Through Knowledge › We know God and we know ourselves. › We use our experiences and faith to act according to Jesus’ message.

 Holy through Fortitude (Courage) › Followers of Christ have shown great courage, even giving up their lives for Jesus as martyrs. › We take risks to follow Jesus. Some are small like attending Mass when our friends don’t. Some are much bigger like not going along with the crowd. › This gift of courage gives us the inner strength to do what is right in the face of difficulty.

 Holy Through Piety › Piety, or reverence, is a gift that helps us to love and worship God. › Ways we show reverence:  Praying  Respecting others  Being concerned for all of God’s creation

 Holy through Fear of the Lord › Fear of the Lord DOES NOT mean we are afraid of God; instead it means that we appreciate God’s creation › We marvel at God’s greatness, love and forgiveness. › We work to follow God’s commands

 The qualities that make us Christian, which means Christlike, are the qualities that make us holy.  We imitate Christ in the everyday things we do.  It is hard to recognize when we’ve grown in holiness—but it is often seen in selfless love of God and our neighbors.

 It has been said that the only real failure in life is to not become a saint. › Saint comes from Latin word sanctus which means holy  Not all saints are canonized. Some of the people we live and work with are saints—they are examples for us of what it means to love and serve God.

 In life we are constantly called to make decisions that have consequences. › Moral decisions can either:  Lead us to happiness and life with God  OR  Lead us to sorrow and separation and life away from God › We are free to make moral decisions, just as you are free to make other decisions. We are free to be holy or not.