Universal Call to Holiness: Men and Women on Fire & a Plan of Life [U1]

Mar 817 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Why are the laity called, along with the clergy and religious, to be holy?

In this episode, we are invited to deeply understand and to wholeheartedly respond to the Universal Call to Holiness, and to develop and live out a plan of life.

Let us ponder what the Bible [1], the Church and the Saints teach us about this crucial topic.

Play on Spotify to listen to the full podcast:

Opening Prayer [2]

Worship, glory, praise and honour

To our God, high-throned above:

We, with many generations

Join to praise thy name of love.

In the scriptures, by the Spirit,

May we see the Saviour’s face,

Hear his word and heed his calling,

Know his will and grow in grace.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Opening Song

“Refiner’s Fire”, The Worship Project feat. Brian Doerksen and TWP Band

(“Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire, is to be holy, set apart for you Lord. I choose to be holy, set apart for you my Master, ready to do your will”).

1. Men and Women on Fire – Saints

1.1. Universal Call to Holiness

Jesus calls each and every one of us to holiness, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48).

St. Peter echoes this call powerfully, “as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’.” (1 Pet 1:15-16) [3].

This applies to both clergy and religious as well as to the laity. There are no exceptions.

To put this call beyond any doubt, the Council Fathers exhorts all Catholics in the centrepiece of Vatican II, Lumen Gentium (see Chapter 5) to the Universal Call to Holiness.

In “the Church, everyone whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness… ‘For this is the will of God, your sanctification’.” (Lumen Gentium, 39, citing 1 Thess 4:3).

“Thus it is evident to everyone, that all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity” (Lumen Gentium, 40).

Indeed, every member of the Church has “the same vocation to perfection” (Lumen Gentium, 32), which Pope St. John Paul II terms the “common vocation to holiness” [4].

Are you personally convinced and convicted about this call, this vocation? Have you answered it?

If not, our Lord Jesus Christ lovingly calls you to seek, to encounter and to follow him, in a new or refreshed Awakening of faith.

1.2. A City of Saints

In December 2024, my family of four were deeply blessed to be able to visit the scenic and serene town of Assisi in Italy. It was our last stop in Italy which included various holy sites, Churches and saints in Rome, San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Cassino, Padua, amongst other Italian towns and cities, both the large as well as the quaint.

Assisi is my favourite city in this exciting itinerary.

Arriving on a Sunday evening, from the lowlands stretching for miles, the historic town of Assisi was clearly visible at night against the backdrop of twinkling stars and the radiant moon, shining brightly as a city on a hill, which cannot be hidden.

Taken on 15 Dec 2024. The historic town of Assisi on a hill, clearly seen from the lowlands. The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is prominently visible on the left side of the hill.

The next morning, we visited the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels which encloses the Porziuncola, the humble chapel where St. Francis founded his Order.

This was also where Francis cut the hair of St. Clare (who was inspired by the life and preaching of Francis), she renounced the world and adopted the black veil and rough sandals which became the first habit of the Poor Clares.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, which encloses the Porziuncola.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. A statute of St. Francis of Assisi sitting in prayer at the slopes just outside San Damiano, one with nature and taking in the splendid view of the vast lowlands of Assisi. It was at San Damiano that Francis spent his initial years shaping his vocation after ardently answering the Lord’s call to “repair my Church”, and later in his life, where he composed the Canticle of the Sun. — Taken on 16 Dec 2024. A statute of St. Francis of Assisi sitting in prayer at the slopes just outside San Damiano, one with nature and taking in the splendid view of the vast lowlands of Assisi. It was at San Damiano that Francis spent his initial years shaping his vocation after ardently answering the Lord’s call to “repair my Church”, and later in his life, where he composed the *Canticle of the Sun*.

We then went to San Damiano, the Church and adjoining convent where St. Clare lived and built her community (the Poor Clares), and where St. Francis heard the Lord’s call as he knelt in prayer before an image of the Crucifix in the chapel (the San Damiano cross), “Francis, go repair my Church, for as you can see it is falling into ruins”.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. Copy of the San Damiano cross in its original position in the Church of San Damiano, where Francis heard the Lord’s call, “Francis, go repair my Church, for as you can see it is falling into ruins”. He answered the call without holding anything back. The original cross now hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare. — Taken on 16 Dec 2024. Copy of the San Damiano cross in its original position in the Church of San Damiano, where Francis heard the Lord’s call, “*Francis, go repair my Church, for as you can see it is falling into ruins*”. He answered the call without holding anything back. The original cross now hangs in the Basilica of St. Clare.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. The humble sleeping quarters of St. Clare and her sisters at San Damiano’s convent. St. Clare passed away at the spot where the cross and flowers are.

Next, we travelled uphill to the medieval town of Assisi. No cars are allowed here except with special permission. This made the cobbled streets, brick houses and inclined slopes of Assisi a joy to walk through and explore, especially in the cool winter temperatures of 7-10 degrees.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. Cobbled streets, brick houses and inclined slopes of Assisi.

We made our way to and spent prayerful moments as a family at both the Basilicas of St. Francis and St. Clare, together with many pilgrims from all over the world, as the day turned to evening after a beautiful sunset.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. A breathtaking view of Assisi from a high spot overlooking the Basilica of St. Clare, as the sun (or Brother Sun, as St. Francis would poetically describe, so “beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, Most High One”) began to set.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. An incomparably peaceful scene at Christmas season, from a spot overlooking the courtyard of the Basilica of St. Francis, with the golden hue of the sunset mixed with the gentle and calming blueish tones of the night sky, as the moon and stars began to emerge. “Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.”

A thousand years after they lived and died, these two greats Saints (who in turn were great friends and mutually inspired each other) continue to inspire countless souls around the world to answer the call of Christ wholeheartedly and to pursue holiness and the love of God and neighbour unreservedly.

The city of Assisi indelibly testifies to their seismic influence and legacy of love.

A remarkable young Saint

But perhaps a little less known in the city of Assisi, as compared to St. Francis and St. Clare, is that a young and remarkable modern saint named Blessed Carlo Acutis is laid there, in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore [5], just a 4-minute walk away from the Basilica of St. Clare.

Born in 1991 in London, he later moved to Milan, Italy. Since he was young, Carlo went to mass every day and prayed the rosary often. He was inspired by and had a devotion to St. Francis.

He would stand up for kids, especially those with disabilities, and was not afraid to defend the unborn when there was a classroom discussion about abortion.

He was fascinated with coding and used his computer skills to put together a website on Eucharistic miracles.

He enjoyed computer games, but exercised self-restraint – limiting himself to only 1 hour of video games a week.

In October 2006, he fell sick and was diagnosed with leukaemia, and passed away shortly after. Miraculous healings for a young boy in Brazil and for a girl in Costa Rica soon followed, and were attributed to his intercession after his death.

He is the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, and he will be canonized on 27 April 2025.

Even before our Italy trip, my son and daughter are both deeply inspired by the life of Blessed Carlo. So much so that my son chose “Carlo” as his confirmation name. They also gave a presentation about him at our home community meeting of families before the trip.

They were therefore extremely excited about visiting the tomb of Blessed Carlo in Assisi.

Without any prodding on my part, they spent the longest time in silent prayer before Blessed Carlo’s body (as compared to the tombs or bodies of many other saints we had visited, including St. Padre Pio, St. Benedict, St. Scholastica, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Francis and St. Clare).

I could feel a palpable sense of profound respect and deep admiration emanating from them for this young saint.

Taken on 16 Dec 2024. My son and daughter in silent prayer at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis. There was a palpable sense of respect and admiration from them for this young saint.

About 10-15 minutes after sitting in prayer, a large group of about 20 Italian teenage boys or young men, led by their youth leader, joined us. They surrounded the body of Blessed Carlo, and gazed upon him with rapt silence and inspired prayer. No one was in a hurry to move on.

I was deeply moved by this scene. For the first time ever, we have a modern saint wearing casual modern clothes – sneakers, jeans and a track jacket. It gave the unmistakable sense that holiness and sainthood is attainable for us in this modern age, for both the young and the old, clergy and laity.

And this group of young people (including my son and daughter) standing before his tomb could tangibly sense that as well.

It was a sense of great hope. That our happiness is founded in Christ and the hope of eternal life. And that God is holy, and we can be holy.

The tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi, Italy. DANIEL IBÁÑEZ/CNA [6] — The tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in Assisi, Italy. **DANIEL IBÁÑEZ/CNA** [6]

1.3. A Crisis of Saints

Our world is in crisis. St. Josemaria Escriva asserts that “these world crises are crises of saints” [7]. In other words, we need more Catholics to become saints (whether canonized or not).

We need Singapore to become like Assisi – a city of Saints.

Only then may we have true and lasting transformation and renewal.

This is all the more central and critical as we, as a Church, strive to design and implement pastoral plans in response and as a follow up to the rich and beautiful fruits of recent synods and assemblies.

Fr. Thomas Dubay expresses this elegantly,

“As the experience of the centuries attests, true transformations in the world and in the Church continue to come about only through the interventions of men and women on fire—that is, through saints [8].”

Pope St. John Paul II reiterates this,

“Men and women saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult circumstances in the Church's history. Today we have the greatest need of saints whom we must assiduously beg God to raise up” [9].

Yes, this means you and me!

2. A Plan of Life

2.1. A Plan of Life or Norms of Piety

Having considered the what and why, we will now consider the how of the Universal Call to Holiness.

In order to pursue holiness, we need to formulate and keep to a plan of life or “norms of piety” (as Opus Dei would term it) where throughout each day, we are in frequent contact with the Lord in love and prayer.

These elements, or frequent points of contact, could include:

Morning offering
Mental prayer, which is closely associated with Lectio Divina (grounded on prayerful reading of the Bible) [10].
Holy Mass (including 2-3 weekday masses, or even daily, if possible) [11]. “[B]y the sacraments, especially holy Eucharist, that charity towards God and man which is the soul of the apostolate is communicated and nourished” (Lumen Gentium, 33). Indeed, the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian faith, and our plan of life must be centred around it. The Mass is also Bible-saturated from start to end [12].
Visit to the Blessed Sacrament
Spiritual reading [13]. St. Josemaria reminds us, “Don't neglect your spiritual reading. — Reading has made many saints [14].”
Angelus [15].
Devotion to Mary / frequent or daily Rosary [16].
Frequent confession (recommended once a fortnight).
Liturgy of the Hours (the Universalis app is highly recommended) [17].
Examination of conscience (at night).
Regular spiritual direction [18].
Small sacrifices [19].

Some guiding principles or tips include:

Recommended 1 hour of contact time per day with the Lord in total (or more, for those can).
Start with something workable, e.g. 5 minutes of contact time for 1st month, and add 5 minutes each month. Within 1 year, one will reach 1 hour per day.
Share your plan of life with another Catholic friend – and keep each other accountable. Encourage and help one another to pursue holiness in our everyday lives. “The faithful… must assist each other to live holier lives even in their daily occupations” (Lumen Gentium, 36).
Don’t be discouraged when on certain days, the plan of life is not carried out or in full. Be flexible. Keep going and remain faithful. Continually begin again!
Do it out of love for Jesus, not compulsion or to simply check off a list.

My dear future fellow saint, it is time to prayerfully formulate a plan of life which is suitable for yourself and your stage of life – and to follow it [20]!

2.2. Contemplation, Action and Vocation

The laity are called upon to “expend all their energy for the growth of the Church and its continuous sanctification”. This very energy is a “gift of the Creator” and “a blessing of the Redeemer” (Lumen Gentium, 33).

Having and living out a plan of life ensures that we live a contemplative life which continually energizes us to love and be loved by God, and to love and serve others. We become the best versions of who God has called us to be.

Contemplation sustains action, which in turn fulfils vocation [21].

As St. Josemaria Escriva lovingly encourages us,

“Try to commit yourself to a plan of life and to keep to it…

… These pious practices will lead you, almost without your realising it, to contemplative prayer. Your soul will pour forth more acts of love, aspirations, acts of thanksgiving, acts of atonement, spiritual communions. And this will happen while you go about your ordinary duties, when you answer the telephone, get on to a bus, open or close a door, pass in front of a church, when you begin a new task, during it and when you have finished it: you will find yourself referring everything you do to your Father God [22].”

2.3. Christianity and Family

Finally, a quick word of exhortation for marriages and families.

"[M]arried couples and Christian parents should follow their own proper path (to holiness) by faithful love. They should sustain one another in grace throughout the entire length of their lives.” (Lumen Gentium, 41)

They are also called to pass on the faith to their children, “They should embue their offspring, lovingly welcomed as God's gift, with Christian doctrine and the evangelical virtues." (Lumen Gentium, 41)

We cannot give what we do not have. We need to personally grow in holiness and love, in order to love our spouse and children, and to pass the faith down to them.

Indeed, the family is the nursery and incubator for future saints.

6. Conclusion

“[A]ll the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state. Indeed they have an obligation to so strive” (Lumen Gentium, 42).

Blessed Carlo Acutis puts it beautifully,

“The only thing we have to ask God for in prayer is the desire to be holy.”

For this very desire, we all earnestly pray.

Saints Francis, Clare and Carlo, pray for us!

Closing Reflection / Prayer

Let us end by prayerfully considering the compelling vision painted by Fr. Dubay in Fire Within, about how the world and the Church will look like if we all answered the Universal Call to Holiness.

“Indeed, at this very moment, deep and lasting changes in the Church are being brought about by a faithful few who are burning interiorly as a consequence of the deep prayer given by the Holy Spirit…

… they are like the saints have always been. The burning ones are the unflickering light of the world, the savory salt of the earth, the lively leaven in the mass.

Thus, contemplative husbands and wives are examples of holiness to their children not unlike a Hedwig or a Thomas More.

Prayerful clergy serve to inspire parishioners through soul-stirring homilies, sound guidance in the confessional and comforting concern in times of need.

Teachers who are aflame ignite their students by their contagious enthusiasm as well as by the attractiveness of the truth they proclaim.

Nurses close to God have a healing influence on both soul and body.

In the home, in the marketplace, in the cloister, the love steadily radiating from these simple ones permeates and invigorates the world around us.

It is unmistakable evidence of God living in and among us, a clear manifestation to our world that the Incarnation has taken place.”

May the Lord cause this vision to come alive in us.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

* Is there anything in this session which struck you or any thoughts, experiences or ideas which come to your mind? Please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you.

** Thank you for joining us on the A-Z of DiscipleSHIP. We look forward to having you with us again next month, as we study the letter “V”, for Virtues and Vices.

Recommended Closing Song

(“Holy, there is no one like You. There is none beside You. Open up my eyes in wonder. Show me who You are and fill me. With Your heart and lead me. In Your love to those around me.”)

The lyrics beautifully describe the Universal Call to Holiness (referencing several great Catholic saints), and the hopeful invitation that God has created each one of us to become a saint according to His will.

This is Danielle Rose’s first song that she wrote and recorded as a wife and mother, with the prayerful hope that this song will be an encouragement to every mother in her call to reflect Christ’s extraordinary love in the “Mamastery” of ordinary family life.

Music by Sebastian Temple, arranged by Randall deBruyn; Recorded live by the Sunday 7pm Choir at St. Francis De Sales Church in Ajax, Ontario Canada.

Reflection and Sharing Questions

This month’s podcast considers the Universal Call to Holiness (also termed by Pope St. John Paul II as the “common vocation to holiness”). The key points may be summarized as follows:

The Universal Call to Holiness is addressed to each and every Catholic, whether clergy, religious or laity, whether young or old, without any exceptions.

The Saints answered this call wholeheartedly and without any reservations. Through them, we have true and lasting transformation and renewal in the Church and in the world. We are called to be saints, just like them.

Formulating and following a personal plan of life is imperative to and inseparable from answering the Universal Call to Holiness.

Have you personally and wholeheartedly answered Jesus’ call to holiness? If not, what is holding you back?

Prayerfully formulate (in writing) a personal plan of life for yourself. Share it with a trusted spiritual director, mentor or buddy and keep each other accountable to follow it (with the grace of God).

© Presented by the Catholic Theology Network (writers / contributors / sound): Dominic Chan (M.A., Theology, Augustine Institute), Nick Chui (MTS, JPII Institute for Marriage and Family, AU), Keenan Tan (M.A., Theology, Augustine Institute), Debra Dass (Diploma in Theology, CTIS), Marcia Vanderstraaten (Diploma in Theology, CTIS); cover art: Koh Azariah Augustine.

Footnotes

1. Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture references are taken from the RSV 2nd CE.

2 . Hymn from the Office of Readings (28 January 2025).

3. Which in turn is citing or echoing Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26, amongst other Old Testament texts where God commands the Israelites to be holy because God himself is holy.

4. Pope St. John Paul II, Christifideles Laici (On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World), 16.

5. Before his death, Blessed Acutis specifically requested that he be buried in Assisi, because of his devotion to St. Francis of Assisi, and was reburied there in 2007. It is inspiring to know that even around a thousand years after his death, the life of St. Francis inspired a young boy to sainthood in modern times.

6. Picture taken from https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/blessed-carlo-acutis-tomb-permanently-reopened-for-public-viewing/. As this article clarifies, the opening of Acutis’ tomb at the time caused some confusion online as to whether the teen might have been incorrupt, which led the bishop of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino, to clarify that the boy’s body, though intact, “was found in the normal state of transformation typical of the cadaveric condition.”

7. St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 301.

8. Fr. Thomas Dubay, Fire Within, Chapter 1. Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.

9. Pope St. John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, 16. The first line of this quote is also quoted in the CCC 828.

10. See P for Prayer (Section 3) and B for Bible (Section 3, on Lectio Divina) for more on this.

11. See E for Eucharist for more on this.

12. See B for Bible (Section 3, on The Mass) for more on this.

13. Amongst spiritual classics and modern masterpieces as excellent options for spiritual reading, the 2nd Reading every day from the Church’s Office of Readings (a short 5-7 mins excerpt, specially curated and tapping on 2000 years of spiritual riches, taken from a sermon or writing from or about the Saint of the Day, a Church Father, or various key Magisterial documents) is highly recommended. The 2nd Reading from the Office of Readings is also conveniently located in the “Spiritual Reading” tab in the Universalis app (which is also highly recommended).

14. St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 116.

15. See Q for Queen of Heaven (Devotion to our Lady) (Section 2.2, on the Angelus) and P for Prayer (Section 3, on the Angelus as a type of vocal prayer) for more on this.

16. See Q for Queen of Heaven (Devotion to our Lady), B for Bible (Section 3, on the Rosary) and P for Prayer (Section 3, on the Rosary) for more on this.

17. See B for Bible (Section 3, on the Liturgy of the Hours) for more on this.

18. See J for Journeying with Others for more on this. If a spiritual director cannot be found at the moment, a good alternative would be a spiritual mentor.

19. These are manageable acts of daily self-denial to help us grow in love for God and neighbour, e.g. not complaining, restraining an angry or sarcastic word, putting up with a difficult colleague or family member (having a paradigm shift that that person sanctifies you, rather than irritates you), waking up immediately when the alarm clock rings, being punctual, being diligent at work despite being tired, giving up a small pleasure in eating or drinking, observing required and special days or periods of fasting or abstinence (these days, one may also consider fasting periodically from social-media), etc.

20. You may also consider setting up a daily reminder on your smartphone that pops up every morning when you wake up or at key junctures of your day – to remind you of your plan of life. There are also many excellent Catholic Bible or prayer apps available these days which greatly assist in daily prayer, Scripture or mass readings and Bible reflections or commentaries, as well as for reciting the Rosary and other prayers.

21. See “Your Life is a Vocation” (written by Louis of VITA Scribes) at https://www.catholic.sg/your-life-is-a-vocation/ for an explanation on the meaning, levels and paths of “vocation”.

22. St. Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, 149.

23. Available by signing up at this link: https://spiritualdirection.com/rule-of-life-nd

24. St. Teresa describes the soul as a Castle with seven primary rooms, each reflecting a different level or manifestations of prayer, virtue and on the path to union with God. See Daniel Burke (with Fr. John Bartunek, LC, STL), Navigating the Interior Life: Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God, chapter on “The Three Ways of the Spiritual Life”.