Lent

“You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Does it seem possible, that we, with our less than perfect ways, could ever be perfect? Well might we ask, is Jesus being unreasonable, asking too much of me? So what is this perfection to which Jesus calls us.

A man once came up to C. H. Spurgeon, the great English preacher, at a Christian retreat, and said that he had reached a state of spiritual perfection. Without a word Spurgeon picked up a pitcher of ice-cold water and poured it on the man's head. When the man became angry and reacted like any normal person would if cold water were poured on his head, Spurgeon said, "Well, now I know exactly what spiritual perfection you've come to!"

Throughout his teaching, Jesus portrays God as a loving and proud Father who sees Himself in us and in each one of his daughters and sons. So He expects of us as a dearly-loved child of his, created in his image, that we will be good to all our brothers and sisters, even our ‘enemies’ and persecutors. In reality such perfection calls us to not to retaliate, but should give, share, lend and go the extra mile.

We are called to nothing less than perfection. In the Gospel of St Luke we learn more about the sort of perfection called for. St Luke’s phrase is: “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful”. What is called for is the perfection of mercy. In his last moments on Calvary Jesus gave us an example of what is meant: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”.

As we try to listen to these words of Jesus, we do so not as law-giving, perhaps not even as a sermon, but as a message that is given for our freedom. Jesus wants us to be free of limits that we may have set upon ourselves by imagining others wrongly. We pray that attitudes and actions may change by our; acting in the freedom that Jesus gives.

God of goodness and mercy,

of gentleness and kindness,

of righteousness and faithfulness:

be the light of our salvation

and sustain our souls.

We offer the daily tasks

that consume us to you,

for we accomplish nothing

without your grace.

We submit to your will,

that we should love you

with our everything

and love our neighbours,

and even our enemies,

as ourselves.

Renew us and transform us

by your steadfast love

into the people of God.

Amen