An Apologetical Explanation of

Christian Perfection

How can we “be perfect” as Christ demands us?

[Jesus] opened his mouth and taught [the crowds], saying “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  (Mt 5:48)

Jesus said to [the young man], “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  (Mt 19:21)

Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.  (2 Cor 7:1)

Although we will not become truly perfect until we enter Heaven, we can approach Christian perfection through steady growth in holiness and grace.

The call to Christian perfection is the call to holiness.  “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” (LG 40).  The object of holiness is to become ever more perfectly united to Christ; as we grow in holiness, we necessarily become more like Christ, who is perfect because he is God.  We cannot attain perfection on our own, but by our faith and actions we can dispose ourselves to grow in holiness so that the grace of the Holy Spirit can work within us.  This union we seek is a mystical one because it comes to us through the Sacraments, the “holy mysteries.”  (Cf. CCC 2012-2014)

In order that the faithful may reach this perfection, they must follow in Christ’s footsteps and conform themselves to his image seeking the will of the Father in all things.  They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor.  In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history.  (LG 40)

We are aided in our growth toward holiness and Christian perfection by the practice of our faith, especially the frequent reception of Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance and a life of prayer.  It is the fruit of the spiritual struggle that we experience in our daily lives.  It comes from self-denial and taking up our daily cross and bearing it virtuously in imitation of Christ.  By following in the footsteps of the Savior, we will find ourselves more closely living the Beatitudes, filled with peace and joy amid our suffering, with our eyes lifted in hope and focused upon our heavenly reward.  Throughout our lives we ought to pray for final perseverance, a “good death” in the state of grace, that we will “finish well,” meaning that we remain faithful throughout our lives until we are called to eternal life.  (Cf. CCC 2015-2016)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraph 2013.

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