Father Stephen’s homily & reflection for Saturday, March 15, 2014 in the first week of Lent. “So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48) I don’t know about you, but these words of Sacred Scripture sort of bug me. I mean, come on now, how can I be perfect as God is perfect? What’s going on here anyway! Perhaps if we remember that the Gospels were written in Greek and we take a look at the Greek meaning of the word used here, it will help us understand a little better. The Greek word used here mans to make perfect in the sense of making something complete, or accomplished or fulfilled. There is another Greek word that carries nearly the same meaning in the Greek language and that is the Greek word for holy. A holy person is a person is a person who is complete, who is whole, who has accomplished all his potential, who is fulfilled and thus is a perfect person. And so it could be said to be perfect is to be holy and to be holy is to be perfect. We know that God is complete, whole, accomplished and fulfilled. Otherwise he wouldn’t be God. We also know that God told us to be holy. Holiness, perfection is part of God’s very nature. God cannot not be perfect. But for us it’s a different story. Perfection, holiness, completeness, wholeness fulfillment are not part of our human nature. They can be to a degree, but we will never be perfectly perfect, if you know what I mean. We will never be God, but we can work at being whole, complete, Holy, to a degree. This all depends on how we can exercise the potential that we have been given in the gifts and talents that God freely gives every one of us. This all depends on how well we love as the Lord has loved us, a love that has not boundaries, who leaves no one out, not even our enemies. So perhaps then, our Gospel today (Mt. 5: 43-48), should give us pause to reflect on how well we are using our God-given gifts and talents. How well do we love? Are we being the best person that we can be? Most likely we have to answer that probably we are not. There is always room for progress. So then where do we need to make progress? Where can we make progress to be a better, more whole, complete, fulfilled person during these Lenten days? This is, as they say, a very good question, one in which we all must answer for ourselves. “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Yours in Christ and His Blessed Mother, Father Stephen McKinley, OFM Conv Rector of the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe Spiritual Advisor to the MI
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 17:03:48 +0000
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