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! While this is still a challenge, I am able to see that it is possible for all of us. I think we have to separate the call of Jesus to be our best and the psychological pressure to be flawless. The latter idea can lead to stress, burnout or guilt.
The message of Jesus is a call to be perfect, to become perfected and to grow in holiness. This is the Christian call to become saints. This is the vocation we were all given at baptism. This is the challenge to transform ourselves into what God has called us to be. Saint Francis de Sales tells us again and again to “be who you are and be that well.” If we try our best to be our best, we can transform ourselves and the entire world into the Kingdom of God.
For de Sales, perfection is about striving to live each and every moment in the Grace of God. Tomorrow is not yet here and yesterday is gone forever. All we have is the present moment. It is in this moment that we are called to live perfectly. And if we can do this in the present moment, what is keeping us from doing it in the next moment? Over time, these moments of perfection will get easier and our call to holiness will grow stronger. Francis encourages us when he wrote, “God will lead us to perfection one step at a time.”
Yesterday, the Church began the season of Lent. We all know this a penitential period of preparation for Easter. It is also a time for Christians to prepare for the Kingdom – a time to prepare for perfection. Perhaps this is a moment to pursue holiness. Perhaps we can make this Lent an opportunity to become a saint!
