23 February 2020
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect,” says Jesus in today’s gospel. Perfection is a concept that seems to attract every human heart. In a world full of flaws, we reward the flawless. A common mindset, though perhaps unconscious for most, is that my worth comes from my ability to be perfect. Anything less than perfection is an assault on my dignity. Indeed, these are desires and mindsets that transcend cultures and belief systems.
But Christianity sheds a different light on perfection. It does not mean being flawless so as to secure your worth, your dignity, or your lovability. No. We will falter, but our Father in heaven will love us no less. He is merciful. In fact, that unconditional love and that mercy are the ones that sustain us and help us to strive for holiness in an ever-deeper way. We’re never alone.
Only God’s love and mercy can bring us to holiness, wholeness, perfection. When we are loving, when we are merciful, then we come closer to fulfilling Jesus’ command of being perfect like our Father in heaven.