The Call to Holiness can also be considered to be a call to a Spiritual Journey of Personal Relationships. By this we understand that any spiritual growth involves the development of the ability to sustain healthy relationships with others. This can be, of course, a struggle at times since it does require us to divest ourselves of our personal self-concern and focus on the other.

Further, the spiritual journey is not clearly marked. People are not always sure of the direction they should take. They may stumble, take detours, miss the signs, and even have to retrace their steps. But they trust that God is with them even in these false steps, inspiring, guiding, correcting so that they general direction of their lives is growth in relationship with the Lord and with their neighbors.

The journey is not a solitary one that we have to make alone. In our efforts to grow spiritually we have the help, the example, the prayers, the guidance of the Church, the Christian community of which we are a part. Even though each of us goes to God in our own way, we also go with others as a member of a community.

This is an important point. A truly vibrant parish is one that finds ways to support one another. Truly, anyone belonging to a Christian community should feel that they have the support of the community. This may mean, at times, that we reach out to one another, demonstrating this support. Each member of the community should know and feel that they have the support of the         community and also feel their own responsibility to support others in the community. It is always a two-way street. If we desire to be supported by the community, we must be willing to offer our support to members of the community. This, of course, requires active membership. Active membership, of course, also has to take into account our physical ability to support the     community. Perhaps, because of age and health, all we can do is be friendly to others. That is a form of support.

Mary, the first member of the community, is a prime example of this growth. Even though Mary’s journey was always in accordance with the will of God, she had to grow in her understanding of and in her response to God’s will. The stories in the Gospel which speak of her show her as a young girl afraid yet courageously responsive to God’s call, a young mother caring for her child, a mother confused and wondering about her lost son, a mother who must let go of her son as he goes about his public ministry, a mother who must watch her son die, and, finally, a mothers, confirmed in Easter faith, who waits for the coming Spirit of Pentecost.