Hello Meltzerboy,
**I believe that catholic belief about Jesus’ Holiness as a Human is that: **
a) Jesus was not only sinless but impeccable- This means that Jesus could not choose to sin. Though he has two natures that he possesses perfectly as his own, divine and human, he is only one subject, one divine person. So he cannot sin against himself- For him, sin is not even a possibility.
b) He was/is also the perfect human being, the best of us, so his human nature was also perfect without the slightest effects of original sin. Christ did not suffer from any of the effects of original sin on the soul such as concupiscence/or disordered affections or attachments to things, he had no flaws of character, no faults at all, such as greed, sloth, etc or generally bad tendencies that we suffer from that do not in themselves constitute sin, but tendencies toward sin.
-In many ways, we cannot fully appreciate his humanity, because we only know fallen human nature (man with many weaknesses in nature and character). It’s difficult to imagine the alternative version of humankind without sin or its effects and what that would have been like. So we know that Christ as man, was subject to limitations- he needed to sleep, eat, work etc. As man, he had limited knowledge and abilities. This was his usual human condition, unless he permitted it some extra-human privileges/miracles. But we truly can not know Jesus’ perfect human condition well, because our own humanity is fallen. We don’t know if all of the things we take for granted as “natural” to us are truly natural or fallen, therefore if Jesus (as man) experienced them all or not. Theologians say his human intellect must have been well beyond any human intellect because it was not fallen and was able to grasp truth more clearly, easily, directly, and avoid error easily. His will was perfectly unencumbered by passions and other things as explained earlier. He never suffered temptations “from the inside”, or rebellion from his nature- All his temptations were external.
c) The proximity of his human nature to the divine, being a nature in which a Divine person acted directly, being perfectly united to the divine will. You see, no creature can be so close to God, as to be one with him, and be unaffected. Holiness even in us, and the Saints is the result of progressive closeness to Divinity, made possible by grace. God Hallows, makes Holy. So Christ had, as man, the fullest measure of holiness that is possible to imagine in any creature, anything not God. Again, we cannot know how this affected his general nature so that we can point at his life and say easily: That’s due to his impeccability, That’s due to his human perfection, That’s due to his perfect union with God. It’s not something we can properly imagine.
The Church’s teaching about Mary:
a) She certainly was not impeccable (incapable of sin). She had full freedom to disobey, like any creature. Her sinlessness is based on choice and grace.
b) She was saved from original sin, which is a type of hole or lack where sanctifying grace should have been were it not for the fall. Sanctifying grace is like our umbilical code to God, that enables intimate communion or friendship with God, beyond the relationship of Creator-creature. Mary, at her conception got what we get at baptism, the infusion of grace into the soul, and communion/shared life with the Blessed Trinity. She suffered from no effects of original sin, but rather was in the condition of Adam and eve before the fall.
c) The grace she got was perfect and complete, enduring all her life, so that she submitted perfectly to God for all her life- She was “full of grace” all her life. Tempted, sure, but her boon of a grace was more than sufficient to help her.
