Spiritual Maturity in Leadership is Key to Healing the Church's Crisis

On The States of Perfection

In the Catholic tradition, spiritual growth is not a vague aspiration but a structured journey toward union with God. This path, outlined by the Church’s greatest doctors, consists of three stages: the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive. At its pinnacle is the unitive stage, where Christian perfection is attained as fully as possible in this life — though it falls short of God’s absolute perfection. This stage, also called the stage of union with God or spiritual childhood, forms the foundation of divine order in every Christian life.

This divine order heals human imperfection and replaces it with God’s perfection. Yet, schism, confusion, and crisis have disrupted this order within the Church, the world, and even families. The original design has been supplanted by disorder, leading to widespread turmoil. God’s divine order calls all baptised Catholics to the way of perfection, achievable through cooperation with actual and sanctifying grace. It fosters abundant charity, drawing the Church into true discipleship — one mind, one heart, one mission — in following Christ from beginning to end. As Our Lord commands: “Be you perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Tragically, this is not unfolding as it should, because the laity are not being led properly. We cannot blame the faithful when bishops fail to embrace critical aspects of their vocation.

A Church in Crisis