"When I was a junior at North Catholic High School (Philadelphia, PA), I remember our Christian Morality teacher began the course by quoting the Scripture passage many of us heard last weekend, 'Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matthew 5:48). As a 16-year-old average student, this teaching seemed out of reach; it seemed impossible. I kept asking myself, 'How can anyone be perfect?' I believed that perfection meant being better than others, being without any problems, going through life minus struggles and sins. With that definition in my mind, I reasoned that only Jesus and the saints were perfect. Perhaps Jesus did not mean for his followers to take this so literally.
"Today, I think I have a better understanding of this teaching. Jesus
really did mean what he said. He does not want us to be 'average' or 'pretty good.' He wants perfection! . . ."
In
a recent commentary, Father Jack Kolodziej,
OSFS, reflected on the importance of separating the call of Jesus to be our best (to become perfected and to grow in holiness) and the psychological pressure to be flawless.
To access Fr. Kolodziej's complete post, please visit:
De Sales Weekly: Provincial's Reflection: Perfection (23 FEB 23)
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