On this last day of the first week, the gospel could make us throw up our hands and give up, as Jesus tells us to be “perfect.” It’s seems impossible until we remeber that the text uses teleios, and not anamartetos. We are commanded to be perfect not sinless.
Perfect in the Greek or Latin sense means complete. It grows out of the understanding that when each of us was created by God, he already had in mind the person we were meant to be, there is a goal (Greek-telos). For each of us that goal is both unique and identical. We each fit into God’s plan in a unique way. On the other hand, the goal is the same for all of us, oneness with Him.
In this season of Lent, we use bodily discipline, fasting. We use prayer. We use charity. All of these serve a double purpose.
In the first place, we look back. We do them as Penance for sins committed.
In the second place, we look forward. We use the discipline of Lent to help us focus, so that we might adhere more closely each day to path that God has marked out for us, the path on which we walk with Christ. There is no discipleship without discipline.
Tomorrow we begin week two. Take some time today to plan how it will be even better than week one.
