The art of Perfection.

(Homily for March 11, 2017).

In anything you do, never be content with being average. Always strive to be the best. Everyday try to be better at what you do so long as it is a good thing, praiseworthy and honourable. The moment you stop striving to be better, you stop growing and this means, you start dying. Now, this applies not only to our daily activities but also to our spiritual life. Jesus tells us today to aim for perfection and the key to attaining perfection in the spiritual life is the ability to love our enemies.

Worshipping God is a covenant agreement. There are things we expect from God and there are things God also expects from us. This is what Moses tells us in our first reading today. “You will do well to walk in his ways, keep his statutes and his ordinances, and obey his voice; and the Lord has declared this day concerning you that you are a people for his own possession… he will set you high above all nations in praise and fame and in honour and you shall be people holy to the Lord.” If we do our part, God will do his part and the summary of everything God expects from us is loving our neighbour.

Who is a neighbour? Is it simply the one who is friendly with you, speaks your language, lives close to your house or shares things with you? Yes. But your neighbour also includes the one who wants to destroy you, it includes the one you are not supposed to talk to just as Samaritans had no business with Jews, it includes the one who hates you, the one who has long stopped talking with you, it includes the one who is eagerly waiting to hear bad news from you, it includes that man or that woman who has promised to make life difficult for you or who never responds to your greeting.

To be perfect is to keep God’s commandment by actually loving your neighbours which means every single person be it a friend or foe. It is going beyond the ordinary; going beyond what society expects; loving those who hate you. In short, to be perfect is to no longer have enemies. To be perfect is to have a heart so fresh and clean that it gives no room for hatred; a heart so sweet that it is never bitter at anyone; a heart so holy that it never contemplates evil against anyone. This is how God created us, this is how we were as kids. We can be perfect so long as we work towards it.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, teach me to love my neighbour as myself. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the First week of Lent. Bible Study: Deuteronomy 26, 16 to 19. Matthew 5, 43 to 48).

Fr. Abu.