The Church is Holy
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified
Made Holy by the Bridegroom (823-824)
The Church is unfailingly holy because Christ loved the Church as his Bride. He gave himself up for her and has given her the Holy Spirit. Because she is holy, the New Testament frequently calls her members "saints."
Sanctified by Christ, the Church herself becomes sanctifying and directs all her activities to the sanctification of the human race.
All Called to Be Holy (825-826)
Because the Church is endowed with a real (yet still imperfect) sanctity, all her members are called to the perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect.
Charity is the soul of holiness. "I realized that love enables the other members of the Church to act. Love is the vocation which includes all others; it is a universe of its own, comprising all time and space - it is eternal" (St. Therese of Lisieux).
Gathering up Sinners (827)
Christ came to expiate sins. The Church clasps sinners to her bosom and follows the path of penance and renewal. All Church members, even her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners. "Though having sinners in her midst, the Church offers them the life of grace. If they live her life, her members are sanctified. When they move away from her, they fall into sins (Pope Paul VI).
Canonizing Saints (828-829)
By canonizing saints, the Church recognizes the Spirit's power of holiness within her. "The saints have always been the true source of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church's history" (Pope John Paul I). Their holiness is the hidden source of apostolic zeal.
In Mary, the Church has already reached a holiness that is without stain or wrinkle. Let all eyes turn to Mary, in whom the Church is "all holy."
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