The Universal Call to Holiness

The Second Vatican Council was marked by a new spirit of openness and energy about the role of the laity. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) defines the goal of human life as holiness. The source of our holiness is Christ, who sanctified us--all of us. Church members who previously had been told to ""pay, pray, and obey"" are now identified as the ""people of God"" and recognized, as a result of Baptism, as sharing in Christ's mission as priest, prophet, and king. We all use our various gifts to build God's reign on earth.