Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 96 No. 1, 2026.
Pregledni rad
https://doi.org/10.53745/bs.96.1.8
The Universal Call to Holiness in the Light of the Teaching of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen gentium of the Second Vatican Council
Ivan Pleše
orcid.org/0000-0003-0935-2160
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu Katolički bogoslovni fakultet, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Jakov Milić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2543-2857
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu Katolički bogoslovni fakultet, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Sažetak
The paper analyses the Catholic Church’s theological understanding of holiness, with a particular emphasis on the contribution of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and her »Little Way« to the universal call to holiness. In the first part, the authors present a brief hermeneutical- historical framework that demonstrates that sanctity was often narrowly perceived through the lens of the monastic-ascetical ideal, and point to significance of the conciliar return to the universal call to holiness. The main chapter opens with a systematic analysis of the conciliar text LG 39-42, from which four structural theological concepts are derived: baptismal sanctification (sanctificatio baptismalis), perfection of charity (perfectio caritatis), primacy of grace (gratia praeveniens), and ecclesiological communion (communio sanctorum). These concepts serve as a hermeneutical framework for reading Thérèse’s doctrine. The spiritual teaching of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is then analysed through four key points (holiness as a call for all, perfection in love, primacy of grace and surrender, ecclesiological-communitarian dimension), demonstrating how Thérèse engages with the same theological categories in an existential-spiritual register. The paper thus illustrates that the consonance between Thérèse’s »Little Way« and the conciliar teaching is not exclusively thematic but also conceptual, and that her »Little Way« offers a contemporary model of living holiness accessible to everyone, regardless of social standing or life circumstances.
Ključne riječi
holiness; universal call; St. Thérèse of Lisieux; Lumen gentium; Second Vatican Council; »Little Way«; ecclesiology
Hrčak ID:
349162
URI
Datum izdavanja:
11.7.2026.
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