The scope of the unity of heaven and man in the Catholic view of sanctification

The scope of the unity of heaven and man in the Catholic view of sanctification

Zhao Jianmin

Summary: Catholicism especially regards sanctification as the purpose of its doctrine and life. Its connotation of sanctification is profound and broad, its music is high-minded but not unconventional, and it is deeply worshiped by Liba people under the faith. As far as Catholic teaching is concerned, sanctification is by no means limited to ethics and morality. Sanctification not only involves the practice of ethics and morality, but also achieves the eternal transcendence of the unity of nature and man. At this level, sanctification is really beyond the scope of ethics and morality. It is the perfection and perfection of the eternal life of the unity of heaven and man. Therefore, the core dimension of sanctification lies in the unity of heaven and man. In view of this, the scope of the unity of heaven and man includes both the universality that everyone can be like Yao and Shun, and everyone can be holy, and the particularity that individuals can become holy in different ways. Therefore, everyone can reach the saturation point of perfection through different paths - the unity of heaven and man. The unity of heaven and man is the ultimate and consummation of sanctification.

Keywords: Catholicism, sanctification, unity between man and nature, finality and perfection

1. Preface

The Catholic view of sanctification has a long history and has a profound influence on the Catholic theology of saints. To this day, the Catholic Church continues to announce many types of male and female saints. Moreover, many important apostles and church fathers were already named saints in the early days of the church. In the country of Catholic saints, there are holy saints, martyr saints, missionary saints, patristic saints, civilian saints, and royal saints. A detailed account of its formation, its path to sanctification, and its influence on mankind would therefore require a separate treatise. This article only wants to briefly outline the core issues of the concept of sainthood. As far as the Catholic concept of sanctification is concerned, from a theological level, its main purpose is the perfection and perfection of the unity of heaven and man. No matter how many saints enter the ranks of saints, the most fundamental thing is to share the eternal life of God. In fact, when the Catholic Church declares someone a saint, as far as that person is concerned, the Church is only using its own authority to announce that he or she has obtained eternal life, that is, has achieved the unity of heaven and man. Of course, the temporal aspect of this announcement is that the saint becomes a role model for the faithful. Therefore, saints not only become a source of support for believers to rely on for prayer, but also become a touching example for believers to move towards the unity of heaven and man in the future. What is difficult for many people to understand is that Catholicism requires believers to ask for the intercession of saints. As far as the essence of intercession is concerned, it is not that God’s eternal plan can be changed through the intercession of saints. On the contrary, the request for intercession is basically to show the examples of saints to believers, in order to enable believers to be encouraged by the examples of saints. Get your own changes. And this change will follow the path of the saints, ultimately allowing believers to reach the unity of heaven and man that the saints achieved. In this regard, the influence of the saints on the faithful is enormous.

This degree of unity between nature and man has therefore become a core part of the Catholic view of saints. Because the unity of heaven and man is actually the ultimate destination and perfection of the saints, and it is also the true meaning of the ultimate salvation of mankind in the Catholic faith. Without this unity or sharing in the divine life of God, there is no final consummation of salvation. The ultimate consummation of salvation is sharing in the eternal divine life of God, or the union of heaven and man. In view of this, this article will discuss the Catholic view of heaven (view of God), view of man, Jesus Christ, and the connotations of sanctification. These four parts are actually the constituent elements of the concept of unity of nature and man, and they are inseparably interconnected. The view of heaven (view of God) or the understanding of God will determine the ultimate orientation of the unity of nature and man, and is the basis of the view of the unity of nature and man. The view of man is opposite to the view of heaven, and has become a part of the view of the unity of nature and man that is closely connected with us. The view of man determines how man can achieve the unity of nature and man. Jesus Christ is the key to the Catholic faith. He is also the key to the concept of unity between man and nature. According to the Catholic faith, Jesus Christ is the example of the unity of heaven and man and the perfect example for mankind to follow. Through Christ, mankind is saved and achieves the unity of heaven and man. Jesus Christ is the only way for heaven and man to become one. This brings us to the essential meaning of sanctification. After this, a little addition is necessary. This addition is the intrinsic connection between sanctification and ethics. This last part relates the sanctification view of the unity of heaven and man to the present world and becomes an intrinsic factor in its composition.

1. Catholic view of heaven (view of God)

The Catholic understanding of God constitutes the Tian Guan (view of God) discussed here. Some of the attributes of God constitute the Catholic view of heaven (view of God). This attribute determines the purpose and method for people to achieve the concept of unity between heaven and man and become a saint. The knowledge of God is also the most difficult part of Catholic theology. The difficulty lies not in Feuerbach's God being the essence of man, Marx's atheism which denies the existence of God, Pyrrhoism which puts aside the judgment of God, ^or Bell's skepticism which doubts the rational cognition of God. ⁱⁱ or agnosticism. But the knowledge of God itself is the most difficult. Therefore, according to the teachings of the Catholic tradition, the Son of God personally came to earth to reveal God (God, God) to mankind. Indeed, “No one knows the Father except the Son, and whomever the Son wills to reveal” (Mt 11:27). Even with this revelation, mankind's understanding of God is still difficult and it is impossible to fully understand it. As St. Paul said, “Now we see through a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. What I know now is only part of it, but then I will know it all clearly. Even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) Any knowledge of God is obviously only a drop in the ocean. There are three ways to know the nature of God: rational knowledge in the way of nature, supernatural knowledge in the way of faith, and supernatural knowledge in sharing the life of God. Either way, it is impossible to fully understand the nature of God. In any case, Catholic theology also believes that people have certain cognitive abilities and can obtain certain truths. Therefore, man can gain a certain, albeit incomplete, knowledge of God. On this basis, the Catholic tradition expounds some of the attributes of God and considers them to be certain cognitions. Here I will only briefly describe the attributes related to the concept of sanctification of the unity of heaven and man.

Thomas Aquinas defined perfection as “a thing which, by its nature, has everything that it ought to have, and nothing is missing, which can be called perfect.” ⁱⁱⁱ integrates all the advantages into one without any defects, it is absolutely perfect. According to Catholic faith, God (God, God) is the creator of all creation and all existence itself, so He possesses all perfection. As absolute being and being itself, God is infinitely perfect and therefore absolutely perfect. As the Bible says, "You must be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48). Absolute perfection is an attribute that God (God, God) must possess as the very being of existence. What should be particularly pointed out here is that people’s pursuit is often their own improvement and perfection.

According to Thomas, "The infinite is the negation of the finite." ^iv Therefore, the church fathers said that God (God) is infinite, unlimited, and infinite. God's infinity is unlimited. Obviously, things in the world are subject to various limitations, especially limitations of time, space and oneself. In fact, human self-improvement tends to break through the limitations of oneself and time and space. As the creator of existence itself and all things, God (God) naturally wants to transcend himself and all things to become the unlimited. The infinite nature of God not only designs Himself, but also presupposes that every attribute possessed by God has this infinite quality. Here the infinite and the absolute can be applied equally.

Traditionally, Catholics believe that good is divided into noumenon good and related good. Ontological goodness means that when a thing has various perfections consistent with its nature, the thing itself is good. ^vIf something can make other things perfect, then it is a relevant good. ^viIn this sense, God is absolutely infinite good, both in essence and in relation to other things. In addition, there is what is often called ethical goodness (virtue). According to traditional theological thought, ethical good is the absence of sin and the purity of moral behavior. God is also the supreme good of this ethics. From this point of view, man's perfect self is the pursuit of this ontological good as well as related goods and ethical goods.

Augustine believed that "God's eternity is God's essence itself. In his eternity, there is no change. In his eternity, there is no past. The past is still the present for him, and there is no future. The future is already the present, so there is only the present." ^vii Therefore, the connotation of eternity is that there is no beginning, no end, no past, no future, and it is an eternal present. From beginning to end, from past to future, it is a continuous process of change. Eternity is the eternal present, without any continuity or variability. Beyond time and space, there is no continuity or variability. Eternity is the inevitable attribute of absolute perfection.

According to Thomas, life is the self-action of a thing. ^viii And God is obviously fully self-acting, and therefore God is the most perfect life, life itself. Jesus himself called himself life. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (Jn 14:6) The life of God is spiritual life. According to Thomas, matter and spirit should be distinguished by the ability to "return to oneself" and "self-reflection." ^ixSelf -reflection is the hallmark of spirit: spirit exists within itself in its constant return to itself. ^xThus , Thomas believed that God is the one who most fully returns to his own being. ^xiThe other two characteristics of advanced life are "person" and the other is love. "Person" is the bearer of life, and love is the natural attribute of life. Both of these characteristics of God are very clearly revealed in the Bible. “Person” is the form of God’s life expressed in the Bible, which proves that God (God, Yahweh, God) is alive (Gen. 1:1-2; Mk. 13:32). The Apostle Saint Paul clearly states that God is love (1 Jn 4:16). Christ clearly stated of himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (Jn 14:6) It can be seen that God is life and living.

1. Catholic view of man

What man sees himself as is God’s view of man discussed here. The outlook on people determines how people understand themselves, and also determines the direction of human self. The starting point of understanding things often affects people's vision, which fundamentally determines whether the understanding of things is correct or not, to what extent, and how it will develop in the future. Therefore, the important thing about people's outlook is that people's understanding of themselves determines their own destiny. If people regard themselves as mere matter, they will not be able to actively enhance their spirit. The root of treating human life as trivial is treating human life as trivial. In addition to how to understand God, the focus of Chinese and Western philosophy is naturally how to understand people. In addition to the view of heaven on how to understand God, the Catholic tradition is also related to the view of how to understand people. The view of heaven and the view of man will undoubtedly influence and connect with each other. The view of heaven affects how people understand themselves, and affects the view of man; the view of man, in turn, affects how people understand God, and affects the view of heaven. When people are regarded as mere matter, it will also lead to a view of heaven without the existence of God. This view of heaven has an impact on human society and affects human destiny itself. Therefore, correctly understanding human beings themselves and having a correct outlook on people have become one of the issues that cannot be ignored. Of course, people can be understood from many angles. The perspective here is mainly the relationship between man and God.

The basis of the Catholic view of man is: God created man in his own image, in the image of God: one male and one female (Genesis 1:27). Man is the image of God (God), which lays the foundation of the Catholic view of man. All aspects of the human outlook are linked to this. The theory of the image of God describes that human dignity originates from God, is similar to God, and fundamentally elevates people to the spiritual level. The theory of imago Dei connects man with God. This theory is also the connection point between the view of heaven and the view of man. As a portrait, it has at least the following attributes: ^xii (1) Man has an indispensable and close relationship with God, (2) Man is similar to God to some extent, (3) Man needs to constantly improve and perfect himself, In order to become more like God, (4) man cannot be equal to God, (5) man gains his true dignity. Man is the image of God, which specializes and sanctifies man's position among all things. This special relationship with God establishes the basis of man’s value as a human being. Furthermore, because of the eternity of God, this value basis also becomes eternal.

Another feature of the Catholic view of man is that God created man. The Bible Genesis records that “the Lord God formed man from the ashes of the ground, and breathed life into his nostrils, and man became a living creature.” (2:7) This image is anthropomorphic. The description actually explains a message: the source of man is God (God). This is also conveying the two basic components of human beings to be mentioned below: the physical level (biological) and the spiritual level (spiritual). The value of this view of man is that it positively affirms the spiritual elements of man's origin, and negatively denies the purely material characteristics of man's origin. God created man and the above-mentioned man is the image of God, which complements and expresses each other and complements each other. These two are actually two sides of the same thing that are inseparable from the origin of human beings. If we insist on the absolute materiality of man's origin, the inevitable result will be man's denigration of his own materialization. Therefore, the creationist view of human beings fundamentally eliminates the dangerous tendency of objectifying human beings. Therefore, it is possible to improve the people discussed below.

As far as the components of human beings are concerned, the Bible quoted above clearly states that there are two basic components of human beings: material and spiritual. Man, the spirit of all things, has two entities: material and spiritual. ^xiii These two realities occupy an equally important place in the Catholic view of man. This view of man is opposed to both Plato’s exaggerated spiritual theory and mechanical materialism. The former believes that human material reality (body) is the encumbrance, fetter, prison and tomb of human spiritual reality (soul), and thus believes that the elements that constitute human beings are only spiritual reality (soul). This may be the origin of the famous Platonic spiritual love. The latter believes that human beings are just "a machine or an animal" and "the mind (spirit - the author's note) is just a meaningless and empty term". ^xiv At the same time, this view of man also rejected the Trichotomism of the Gnostics, Manichaes, and modern Gunther: the body, the animal soul, and the spiritual soul. Catholics view the golden mean as something between these different doctrines. Recognize that human beings are composed of two ontological entities: matter (body) and spirit (soul). Judging from the historical development of the Catholic view of man, due to the influence of social conditions and different cultural backgrounds, there is sometimes a preference for these two components. In any case, one thing is consistent and consistent: as a human being, material and spiritual matter constitute the whole person, and the separation of the two is the end of the human being. In order to explain more clearly the coherence of this component, Catholicism has traditionally adopted the paradigm of essence and form in Aristotelian philosophy. Spiritual reality (soul) is the essential form of physical reality (body). ^xv Aristotle’s paradigm of essence and form are two indispensable elements that constitute a thing. It can also be seen that the Catholic tradition focuses on using this paradigm to understand the composition of human beings: it emphasizes the complete consistency and unity of the two constituent elements. To deny any one of them is to deny the entire human being.

Although the Catholic view of man emphasizes the consistency and unity of the material and spiritual components of human beings, it is not limited to the cage of the components. At the level of the Catholic view of man, the priority of spiritual reality and the essential connection with the view of heaven or God are also reflected. The Catholic view of man also believes that man is a combination of material and spiritual being that continues to improve to the spiritual level. Obviously, this is the inevitable result of focusing on spiritual reality. Spiritual reality is eternally superior or prior to physical reality. Therefore, people must constantly move towards a more spiritual level. Cultivation and spirituality, rationality and wisdom, peace and happiness, beauty and kindness, honesty and trustworthiness all require the improvement of the spiritual level towards unlimited progress. The improvement of spiritual realm is the ultimate goal of man. It is precisely based on the fact that people have spiritual reality that this kind of unlimited spiritual improvement is possible. There is no doubt that denying the elements that constitute the human spirit also denies the fundamental basis for the improvement of the human spirit. A building without foundation can only be a castle in the air. The collapse of castles in the air is inevitable sooner or later. The Catholic view of man builds a rock-solid foundation for the improvement of man's spiritual level from the level of human components. On this basis, it becomes possible for people to continuously improve to the spiritual level.

Augustine believed that man's natural endowment contained the original supernatural endowment. ^xvi Supernatural means adding to the natural endowments of natural objects the existence, power and ability that transcend natural endowments and desires. The supernatural is based on nature, as a prerequisite, and permeates nature. The Catholic view of man believes that in view of the above-mentioned attributes possessed by man, man must also have attributes tending towards the ultimate supernatural goal. Self-transcendence is a goal that people need to strive for throughout their lives. And "self" is human nature. Therefore, people must transcend this "natural" and move toward the "supernatural". This supernatural goal is God as the image's essence. God (God) as the image’s ontology (origin) is beyond nature. Obviously, the portrait will eternally tend to its ontology (origin), although it is impossible for the portrait to be completely identical to its ontology (origin) forever. Therefore, people will tend to God (God) involuntarily. This is the nature of man toward supernatural goals. The First Vatican Council also explained this point from another perspective: "God, because of his infinite goodness, gives man a supernatural goal, that is, to share in the divine gift that completely transcends reason." ^xvii

Life is the most mysterious thing. Human life is even more colorful and mysterious. The exploration of life will be an eternal issue for mankind. The answer to this question can be said to be different between benevolent people and wise people. It is indeed difficult to unify if there is no consensus. In any case, from ancient times to the present, from east to west, south to north, wherever there are people, the mysteries of life have been explored. As long as you face people, you have to face life. As long as we face life, we must answer the questions of life. Religionists whose purpose is to pay attention to human beings will naturally have to face this even more. We will not discuss the answers of other parties here. However, the answers of various religious experts to this issue are also very different. In any case, one thing that all religious experts have in common is: the eternity of life. Whether it is just an expectation, as some philosophers say, or a reality, as some believers say, the eternity of life is a confirmation for religious people. This is exactly the religious view of human beings. The Catholic view of man is no exception to this. Catholicism recognizes the eternity of life. This eternity in the human perspective is closely connected with the eternity of God’s life in the heavenly perspective. Human life moves toward eternal ultimate life in hope. Returning to the portrait theory of human perspective again: life as a portrait naturally moves towards life as the ontology (origin). When human life reaches the ultimate life, that is when human life reaches eternal life.

1. Jesus Christ - the model of unity between man and nature

The Catholic view of heaven (view of God) and the view of human beings have mutual observation, connection, correspondence and unity. These "two views" must not be understood separately. That would be biased and unbalanced. The view of heaven (the view of gods) is the basis of the view of man, and the view of man is the reflection of the view of heaven. Without an understanding of the view of heaven, it is impossible to understand the view of man. The human view is actually viewed from the perspective of the heavenly view. On the contrary, the purpose of the Catholic view of man is also the view of heaven. Acknowledging the view of man is bound to accept the view of heaven. Therefore, the two are closely connected and cannot be separated. Although the views of heaven and the view of man involve different objects, and they are like water and fire, they are indistinguishable from heaven and earth, but their ultimate destination is indeed one from the two, and a perfect explanation can be obtained from the level of the unity of heaven and man. This can be seen when we carefully examine the respective attributes of the "two views". In this sense, the view of heaven and the view of man have their unity.

The best example of a unified view of heaven and man is Jesus Christ. According to Catholic tradition, Jesus Christ is the true God and true person. In other words, Jesus Christ possesses both complete divinity and complete humanity. Just as the view of heaven and the view of man are unified, divinity and humanity are also completely unified in the unique person of Jesus Christ. This point is crucial in the topic we are discussing. Without this unity, there would be no unity between man and nature. Without the unity of heaven and man, the sanctification discussed below becomes meaningless. Catholicism emphasizes the complete divinity and complete humanity of Jesus Christ. This was fully affirmed at the famous Council of Nicaea in 323 AD. The Nicene Creed makes this particularly clear. In history, all the doctrines that opposed the complete divinity of Christ, such as Cerinthus, Ebionites, Arius, Socianism, and the rationalism of the eighteenth century, ists are considered heretics. Likewise, doctrines that deny the full humanity of Christ, such as docetism of the late first and early second centuries AD and later branches of Gnosticism (the belief that there is only one Christ in form but no reality) Basilide, Marcion, and Apelles, Valentin, who believed he only had a body like a star in the sky) were also denounced as heresy. Therefore, the Christology of orthodox Catholic theology always aims to maintain the complete divinity and complete humanity of Christ.

Furthermore, Jesus Christ, the best example of the unity of heaven and man, is completely unified in one person. The heresy that was originally viewed as opposing the person of Jesus Christ was that of Nestorius. This school of thought maintains that Christ has two persons. Obviously, the theory of two persons will bring serious theological consequences: the unity of the view of heaven and the view of man will be broken. In other words, the unity of divinity and humanity will be severed, and the unity of heaven and man will become impossible. The ultimate consequence will be that it will be impossible for man to share in divine life and obtain ultimate life. Therefore, the first church fathers strongly opposed this "two persons theory". It is stated that “anyone who does not recognize the union of two natures in Christ, and that Christ is but one person, shall be excommunicated.” ^xviii Another related doctrine is also abandoned by orthodox Catholic theology: Monophysitism. In fact, Tertullian, who died in 220 AD, clearly stated very early on that "the two self-substantial characteristics in Christ are each preserved intact." ^xix However, in the process of opposing the Nestorians, However, Eutyches, the abbot of the monastery in Constantinople, and Dioscor, the patriarch, developed Monophysiteism. Some of them believe that human nature is absorbed by God (conversio), others believe that God and human nature are mixed to form a new sexual type (confusio), and some believe that the combination of the two natures is a kind of fusion (compositio). . Orthodox Catholic theology believes that complete divinity and complete humanity are combined in one person, and each of the two natures maintains its integrity and coexists. At the same time, divinity and humanity have the exchange of attributes and inhabit each other (Circuminsessio).

In this sense, Christ becomes the best example of the unity of heaven and man. It is a unity of the eternal and the mortal, the invisible and the visible, the absolute spirit and the relative matter, the supernatural and the natural, the true God and the real person.

1. Sanctification - through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ

The concept of Catholic "holy" (sanctus, holy) has its historical origin and several levels of meaning. First of all, in terms of its historical origin, "holy" means the divine power presented in a special way (especially a mystery). This seems to have some similarity with Eastern cultural traditions. This divine power initially seems to have less to do with personal ethics and more to do with magical influence. According to Van der Leeuw's view, "a saint is first of all a person whose body possesses divine power." ^xx Generally speaking, a saint is a capable deceased person whose remains or tomb is the key. This idea is common in Buddhist thought. However, this divine power may also exist in living persons. Secondly, what Christians refer to as “holy” can naturally be traced back to the Israelite nation’s understanding and worship of Yahweh. “Holy” is primarily used for the God of Israel. "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of hosts! The earth is full of His glory!" (Is 6:3) God is the most holy, the only Holy One. "Holy One" is the name of the God of Israel. ^xxi Moreover, the “holiness” of this “Holy One” has a great relationship with the people of Israel. "You shall become a kingdom of priests for me, a holy nation." ^xxii Therefore, according to the tradition of Israel, God, the "holy", is closely connected with the "holy" of the nation of Israel. This is also largely due to the divine power of God. Since then, the connotation of "holy" in the New Testament has been closely connected with this concept and integrated with each other, forming a complete concept of "holy". In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is called the “Holy One of God.” ^xxiii Jesus Christ is not only the “Holy One of God” but also the source and method of sanctification. Christ cried to the Father: “Consecrate them in truth; your word is truth. . . . I consecrate myself to them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” (John 17:17-19) ) The connotation of "Holy" in the New Testament clearly and indivisibly links God (the Holy One) - God's Son Jesus Christ (the Holy One of God) - Christians (the consecrated ones). In view of this, the apostle Paul made a clear request to Christians that “the will of God is your sanctification.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) The connotation of “holy” in the “Trinity” is exactly the basis of the scope of the unity of heaven and man in the Catholic view of sanctification described in this article. It can be seen that in the traditional Catholic concept of "holy", Jesus Christ is the hub and key to understanding "sanctification". The key role of Jesus Christ in Christian sanctification will be discussed in detail later. Furthermore, the Catholic Church’s view of saints is extremely specific. First, saints should be imitators of Christ. This is easy to understand, since, as stated before, Christ is the source and means of sanctification. The most important thing to imitate Christ is that "everyone should pursue the perfection of charity within his own living environment and be kind to others" (Ecclesiastical Constitution 39). The perfection of this charity consists of two inseparable aspects: loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 20:30); and loving one another as Christ has loved them (Jn 13: 34;15:12). Therefore, the modern church believes that “all Christians of all identities and positions are called to move towards the saturation point of Christian life and the perfection of charity: through this holiness, a more moral life must be promoted in the modern society.” way” (Ecclesiastical Constitution 40). Second, a saint should be a person who has defeated the evil power of the devil and is thus filled with the divine power of Christ. "The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the devils have become subject to us because of your name. Jesus said to them, I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven. See what I have given you. authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and to subdue all the powers of the enemy, so that nothing can harm you.” (Luke 10:17-19) Third, martyrdom for Christ is seen as imitating Christ and defeating the forces of evil. The highest mode of Christ’s witness. This was very evident in the early days of the church. Faced with persecution by the Roman emperors, countless saints were martyred. The worship of saints also started from this era. However, as the Church was recognized by the Roman Empire, the opportunities for martyrdom were greatly reduced, and with them came the so-called refined saints of other monastic men and women. They went into the wilderness to isolate themselves from the world. This model is also seen as imitating Christ's example and is another form of martyrdom in the free church. These two modes can be said to be achieved through "heroic" behavior. Fourth, today’s concept of sanctification has become more life-oriented. This transformation first began with a very famous French female saint in Catholicism, Teresa the Little. What is most different about her sanctification is that it is sanctified through the little things in life. She is called "little" not because of her age or holiness, but because her path to sanctification is the "little way." Therefore, she is also called "a little white flower". His path to sanctification has been widely imitated and studied by the church at that time and even today, and is regarded as the light of hope for ordinary people's sanctification. This approach has changed from the previous "heroic" style to a "life" style, which has a huge impact on the Catholic concept of sanctification. The Second Vatican Council in the 1960s clearly stated that “all Christians, within and through their own way of life, position and environment, inherit from the hand of the Father in a spirit of faith and cooperate with God’s will to bring God’s love to the world” Love that is revealed to all in secular service will daily increase holiness.” (Ecclesiastical Constitution 41) ^xxiv Fifth, saints must be announced and recognized by the authority of the Church.

Jesus Christ is the key to understanding the Catholic view of sanctification. In Catholicism, "sanctification" cannot be separated from Christ. "Sanctification" has a three-level relationship with Christ: through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ. Christ is the source and method of sanctification, so sanctification can only be achieved “through Christ.” This source and method are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for sanctification. Moreover, the road to sanctification cannot be separated from Christ and must be "with Christ." As the Second Vatican Council said, everyone “is called to the saturation point of Christian life and the perfection of charity.” ^xxv This kind of sanctification is the saturation point of Christian life and the highest state of living with Christ. Christ, on the other hand, is the author and perfecter of all virtues. Therefore, "those who follow Christ do so not because of their own merits, but because of God's will and grace, are called by God, and are converted to righteousness through the Lord Jesus." ^xxvi Sanctification depends on Christ. Furthermore, sanctification is sanctification “in Christ.” This level fully reflects the extent of "sanctification" and union with God. As mentioned before, the connotation of "Holy" connects God (the Holy One) - God's Son Jesus Christ (the Holy One of God) - Christians (the consecrated ones), forming the connotation of sanctification of the "Trinity". In this context, Christ is the link between God (the Holy One) and Christians (the Consecrated Ones). Therefore, this bond can only be realized “in Christ.”

It can be seen that the unity of nature and man in the Catholic view of sanctification is highlighted here. The consecrated person (Christian) is united with the Holy One (God) in the unity and integration with Christ, or in the Christian life of the Christian, thereby achieving sanctification. Clearly, it is Christ who connects the Holy One (God) to the consecrated one (Christians), thereby “sanctifying” the consecrated one. What must be recalled here is that Christ is God and man, man and God. Undoubtedly, union with Christ, through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, is transformed into union with God. Therefore, sanctification can be said to be the ultimate realization of the unity of heaven and man.

1. The inner connection between sanctification and ethics

Finally, there is one point that must be explained: the inner connection between sanctification and ethics. To sum up, it seems that sanctification is only related to Christ and has no inherent connection with ethics and morality. There are three points that need to be explained here. First of all, the inherent connection between sanctification and ethics is that a holy person must be a person who responds to God’s call and follows the example of Christ. As mentioned before, the perfection of charity includes two aspects: love for God and love for others. “He who receives my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me” (Jn 14:21). Another aspect that is emphasized at the same time is that "God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us, if we love one another" (1 Jn 4:12). Realizing true "love for others" is where human ethics lies, and this is also the intrinsic connection between sanctification and ethics. As the saying goes, "The benevolent love others." Secondly, this view of sanctification is not an ethical perfectionist idea. ^xxvii This view of sanctification is intrinsically related to ethics and morality, but it does not completely rely on ethics and morality for sanctification. Ethical perfectionism's view of saints or morality not only cannot help ethics and morality, but may also lead to disappointing nihilism in ethics and morality. Although no one can make mistakes without being a sage, even a sage is not a perfect person in ethics, perfect and flawless. Third, this view of sanctification is dynamic, not static. Sanctification toward perfection is a process of continual striving forward. On the one hand, we must make unremitting efforts and cannot hope to achieve success overnight. On the other hand, we must not be discouraged and disappointed and regard the future as bleak.

In short, sanctification is the path of life in this world (loving others and loving God), relying on Jesus Christ (the Holy One of God), towards the ultimate and perfect Holy One (God), and finally achieving the unity of heaven and man with him.

(Papers of the International Academic Symposium "Comparison of Christianity and Taoist Ethics" by the Christian Research Center of Sichuan University, 2004.10.29-11.1) See: Editor-in-chief He Chulin Qinghua, "Research on Christian and Taoist Ethical Thoughts", 2006, Sichuan University Press, 148 -164 pages

i Zhao Dunhua, A Brief History of Western Philosophy, Peking University Press, 92 pages.

iii “perfectum dicitur, cui nihil deest secundum modum suae perfectionis”. Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I, 4, 1.

iv “infinitum dicitur aliquid ex eo quod non est finitim”. Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I, 7, 1.

v Bonum est ens, in quantum est appetibile.

vi Bonum est diffusivum sui.

See: Otto, translated by Wang Weixian, "Catholic Dogmatic Theology", Guangqi Publishing House, page 65.

viii "cum vivere dicantur aliqua secundum quod operantur ex seipsis, et non quasi ab aliis mota". Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I, 18, 3.

See: Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I, 14, 2.

xi “ipse est maxime rediens ad essentiam suam, et cognoscens seipsum.” Thomas, Summa Theologiae, I, 14, 2.

Please refer to my book, Theological Reflections on the Image of God in Man, see: "Chinese Catholicism", 2003, Issue 2, pp. 13-17.

xiii "Ac deinde humanam quasi communem ex spiritu et corpore constitutam." Deng 1783.

xiv [French] La Metrie, "Man is a Machine", The Commercial Press, 1981, pp. 53, 73.

xv The Ecumenical Council of Vienna in 1311-1312 declared: "quod anima rationalis seu intellective sit forma corporis humani per se et essentialiter". Deng 481; 738; 1655.

See: Otto, translated by Wang Weixian, "Catholic Dogmatic Theology", Volume 1, Guangqi Publishing House, 1965, page 173.

xvii "Deus ex infinita bonitate sua ordinavit hominem ad finem supernaturalem, ad participanda scilicet bona divina, quae humanae mentis intelligentiam omnino superant". Deng, 1786; 1808.

xix “Salva est utriusque proprietas substantiae”. See chapter 27 of his Refutation of Prasaia.

xx “In the first place, a saint is a person whose body possesses divinely potent attributes.” See Karl Rahner, (edit), Encyclopedia of Theology, The Seabury Press, New York, 1975, p. 1495.

See, Luke 1:35; Mk 1:24; Luke 4:34; John 6:69.

xxiv “Omnes igitur chritifideles in vitae suae conditionibus, officiis vel circumstantiis, and per illa omnia, in dies magis sanctificabuntur, si cuncta e manu Patris coelestis cum fide suscipiunt and voluntati divinae cooperantur, caritam qua Deus dilexit mundum in ipso temporali servitio omnibus manifestando. ” "Church 41"

xxv ​​"Omnes christifideles cuiuscumque status vel ordinis ad vitae christianae plenitudinem et caritatis perfectionem vocari, qua sanctitate..." "Church 40"

xxvi “Christi asseclae a Deo non secundum opera sua, sed secundum propositum et gratiam Eius vocati atque in Iesu Domino iustificati.” Church 40.

【Germany】Karl. Bai Sheke, translated by Jing Ye, Chang Hong and others, "Christian Ethics", Shanghai Joint Publishing Company, 2001, 392 pages.