WHAT IT TAKES TO BE PERFECT
What makes us a true Christian? It is all
by God's grace. With His grace, we are able to treat others, not as we think
they deserve, but as our heavenly Father wishes them to be treated - with
loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just.
If someone insults you or tries to take
advantage of you, how do you respond?
Our Responsorial Psalm leads us to
reflect on the Lord as a lavish Giver. We hear the prayers of the Psalmist as
he recalls God's mercy, graciousness and compassion, which pardons, heals and
redeems all of us. "The Lord is kind and merciful" (Ps 103:8a). It's
easy to love our family, friends and those near to us when they are friendly or
on our "good side," but it gets a little more difficult when our
neighbor is unpleasant or has wronged us in some way. How do we reach out in
love and not get into the line of fire and anger?
Jesus invites us to not fall into the
temptation of repaying with unpleasantness and revenge, but rather, do the
unexpected. Jesus calls us to accept the challenge of taking a fresh look at
the situation and responding with our best selves. Our Bishop Emeritus, William
Skylstad, often tells me to "take the high road." There is a lot of
wisdom in that very act. Does this mean we become doormats for another's
rudeness and wrong doing? No, but it does mean being willing to love, trusting
that love can make a positive difference in the long run, even if it is not
returned immediately.
St. Ignatius of Loyola said it well,
"Teach us to give and not to count the cost." What makes us a true
Christian? It is all by God's grace. With His grace, we are able to treat
others, not as we think they deserve, but as our heavenly Father wishes them to
be treated - with loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well
as the just.
Was Jesus exaggerating when He said we
must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? The meaning of
"perfect" in Aramaic is "completeness" or
"wholeness" - not lacking in what is essential. God gives us every
that is good in Jesus so that we may not lack anything we need to do His Will
in our lives. With the Holy Spirit we can change and transform our lives into
the image of God and His goodness.
May we bless the Lord from the depth of
our souls!