The Call to Holiness

Jesus said “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

The early twentieth century writer, Mildred Duff once described the New Testament as a severe book, and this call to perfection may be regarded as one of the severest of texts. In our common usage perfection implies a state not requiring further improvement. There are no comparative and superlative comparisons of the adjective perfect. Perfection is the final goal of all endeavour, the summit peak beyond which no climber can go. 

Yet the perfection we are called to is to be loving, merciful ‘women and men for others’ as St Ignatius says, rather than upholding any law other than the law of love. Jesus is uncompromising in his insistence that our default position is to love, to respect, to be just.

But there is a strange almost contra effect that stems from this Christy perfection. There are times when the Lord lifts us beyond what we thought possible. He asks us to be perfect: meaning that in our hearts we should bless even those who hate us and wrong us. The love of God can be poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who is given to us. Even when we feel far from blessed ourselves, even when we feel there is little we can do for others, we can still give our approval and blessing to those we meet; that will lift them. Now that’s a perfect objective, isn’t it, bringing perfection to a an imperfect situation.

With this in mind, John Wesley wrote,

“Purge me from every sinful blot;

My idols all be cast aside: 

Cleanse me from every evil thought,

From all the filth of self and pride.

The hatred of the carnal mind 

Out of my flesh at once remove:

Give me a tender heart, resigned, 

And pure, and full of faith and love.”