Pope: Holiness is the Measure of the Christian Life.

"Saintliness, the fullness of Christian life, does not consist in the achievement of extraordinary feats, but in uniting oneself with Christ... in making His disposition ... His behaviour ... our own." This was underlined today by Benedict XVI during his weekly general audience, ending a long cycle of catechesis dedicated to the lives of many saints. Not infrequently, the Pope said, "we tend to think that holiness is a goal reserved for a select few." But it is not, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us. We are all called to follow this path, which is rooted "in the baptismal grace", "in being implanted in the Paschal Mystery of Christ." "But God always respects our freedom and asks us to accept this gift and to live with the demands it brings." And Christian holiness "is none other than charity, fully experienced," a seed that must be cultivated by participating frequently "in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the holy liturgy." Christians must "constantly apply themselves in prayer, in the abnegation of their selves, in the active service of their brothers and in the exercise of every virtue." "For my personal faith", the Pope confided, "it's not just some of the great saints that I know and love who show the way, but also simple saints, that is good people who I see in my life, and who will never be canonized. They are ordinary people, without visible heroism, but in their goodness of every day, I see the truth of the faith."