Sanctity is not for other times, but is the call of each and every person as part of the Church, including the youth. We, the youth, are the hope of the Church and thus are called right now in our state of life as students to live in holiness, to be Saints. The joy of being in the Church is that we are not alone in this journey because we are united with the whole Church in the communion of Saints. 

By the communion of Saints is meant the unity in the whole Church. The Church is the Body of Christ, with Christ as Her “thorn-crowned head” (Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, 2). We are the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, united in an intimate way to Christ the Head, and through being united with Him, we are united to each other. Thus, because the members of the Church form one body, they “do not live for themselves alone, but also help their fellows” (15). This is the joy of being part of the communion of saints - that through everything, each member is united to Christ and to the other members. Thus, “if one member endures anything, all the members endure it, and if one member is honoured, all the members together rejoice” (Lumen Gentium, 7). 

However, it is not only those who are living on earth who are part of the communion of saints. No, those in heaven and the souls in Purgatory are also part of the Church. In fact, the Church is divided into three parts - the Church militant, or those of us on earth; the Church triumphant, or those in heaven; and the Church suffering, or those in Purgatory. This is how our prayers and sacrifices can help our brothers and sisters in Purgatory, and how the Saints through their example and influence can assist us from heaven.

In fact, praying for those in Purgatory is part of our duty as Christians. Seeing those souls, our brothers and sisters, suffer, we cannot ignore them, but must pray for them. Intriguingly, the other duty we have as part of the communion of saints is to be a saint ourselves. The name “Church militant” literally means this - to fight. It is our duty and our calling to strive for holiness daily, to fight in the spiritual battle, to reach heaven, and to be a Saint. Through our union with Christ on the Cross, holiness is possible, for “holiness begins from Christ” (Mystici Corporis Christi, 51). It is the vocation of each member of the Church. The Church even states that it is “an obligation to so strive” (Lumen Gentium, 42). 

In this, the Saints, our brothers and sisters who have already completed the journey, can help us so much. Indeed, they long to help us and are just waiting for us to call on them. Because of the communion of Saints, we can be friends with the saints in heaven. This is why the example of more recent young saints are so important. All Saints, but especially the young Saints and holy young people on the way to being saints, such as St. Carlo Acutis, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, St. Dominic Savio, or Bl. Chiara Luce show us that holiness is possible, that Sanctity is not for other times, but is for our time, right now, and that we are called to live it too. For example, St Carlo Acutis was on fire with love for Jesus in the Eucharist, which led him to say “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven”, showing the youth of today that a relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist is essential to become a Saint. We are not called to be just living our Faith doing the minimum, but should always be striving to follow Christ more and more, “to the heights”, as St. Pier Giorgio Frassati would say. They show us that it is not enough to wait to be holy until we are old, but that holiness - living the Faith with radicality and intensity - is for us right now as young people. 

Young people are naturally full of enthusiasm and joy. We need to have this attitude of spiritual youth in the spiritual life, to give 100%, and not live in a mediocre and lukewarm manner. The Saints did not do this. The reason they are Saints is precisely because they strove for holiness and didn’t hold anything back from God. We are called to do the same.

Bibliography 

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Dublin: Veritas. 1994. Print. 

Pope Pius XII, “Mystici Corporis Christi”. The Holy See. Web. Viewed on 28/11/2025. https://www.vatican.va/content... 061943_mystici-corporis-christi.html 

Pope Paul VI, “Lumen Gentium”. The Holy See. Web. Viewed on 28/11/2025. https://www.vatican.va/archive... const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html