PART I. SANCTITY OF LIFE

Perfection Consists in Fervent Charity

11. According to the teaching of the Divine Master, the perfection of Christian life consists especially in the love of God and of one's neighbor,¹⁸ a love that is fervent, devoted, and painstaking. If it has these qualities it can be said to embrace all virtues;¹⁹ and can rightly be called the "bond of perfection".²⁰ In whatever circumstances a man is placed he should direct his intentions and his actions towards this end.

The Priest is Called to Perfection

12. However, the priest is bound to do this by his very office. By its very nature every priestly action necessarily tends to this end since the priest is called to this by divine vocation, destined for it by his divine office and confirmed by a divine grace. For he must cooperate with Christ, the only and eternal Priest; he must follow Him and imitate Him, Who during His life on earth had no other purpose than to bear witness to His most ardent love for His Father and to bestow on men the infinite treasures of His Heart.