“Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” All of us know that is impossible. None of us will ever reach that level of perfection. So why does the Gospel even place this goal before us.
The Greek word “telios” which is translated as “perfect” doesn’t mean flawless. Perhaps a better way to think of this is in terms of completing a task, of reaching a goal. Our goal is to reach the end of our lives in such a way as to find ourselves living with God forever. That kind of “perfection” is possible. I am sure that you are all working toward that goal.
Our goal as Christians is to love God and to love our neighbor. The Gospel reminds us today that loving our neighbor means loving our enemies as well as our friends. It is only human nature to want to “get even” with those who harm us. However, this is where the notion of perfection comes into play. We can choose to forgive rather than to get revenge. Forgiveness is the path that leads us to the goal.
When we hear that we are to forgive those who harm us, we cannot find a better example than Jesus. As he was hanging on the cross, he asked God to forgive those who had put him to death. In the first reading today we hear that God was willing to forgive even the likes of Ahab who had committed abominable acts of cruelty.
One step in the right direction is to pray for those who might be considered our enemies. The simplest prayer we can utter is the prayer we hear from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator