Homily: 11th Week of Ordinary Time - Tuesday - "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect"

For over a week now our Gospel readings for daily Mass have been taken from Chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel.  Matthew Chapter 5 begins Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the beatitudes.

Today would be a good day to go back and read chapter 5 in its entirety, for reaching its end today, we hear the words, “so be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.  Throughout these 48 verses Jesus has taught us how to be become holy—to reflect the perfect, committed, selfless, merciful love of God in our own lives.

In 1^st century Palestine there was a group of religious leaders called the Pharisees.  They believed holiness consisted in following the external precepts of the law.  But mere outward appearance does not produce love. 

Imagine a couple that merely kept the external precepts of the Ten Commandments in their marriage, saying; “Our marriage is wonderful.  We don’t steal from each other, lie to teach other, or cheat on each other.  And we haven’t even killed each other yet!”  Would that make an ideal marriage?  Of course not.  God does not want spouses simply to avoid hurting one another.  He wants them to grow in love.

The call of the Christian is not to follow the way of the Pharisee, but the way of Jesus  Christ, to a radical interiorization of his Father’s will, obedience to God from the heart, self-giving generosity, and self-sacrifice from the heart—to cultivate true patience, mercy, meekness, and purity.

Saint Maximus the Confessor wrote, “Readiness to do good to someone who hates us is a characteristic of perfect love.”  The perfection of love means readiness to act charitably towards all, irrespective of color, distance, nation, or character? Even those who persecute you.

For our fallen humanity this sounds impossible.  But the saints show us it is possible, that the gift of the Spirit received through faith and the sacraments enables us to love in a way that is beyond the capacity of our fallen humanity. 

So, we pray that our meditation on the Word of God and the celebration of these Sacred Mysteries may continue to transform and perfect our minds and hearts that we may imitate our Savior in all things for the glory of God and salvation of souls.