Daily Thought For February 27, 2021

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Conversion Is A Step By Step Process


Lectio

Matthew 5:43–48

Meditatio

“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

This morning I happened to pick up a personal notebook that I had kept about fourteen years ago. I had written in it some resolutions about ways I could grow spiritually, noting several areas for improvement. Not much has changed in fourteen years! I had to laugh at myself because I realized that despite all my plans and good intentions, I still have to work on a lot of the same areas that I was working on back then. I’m pretty much the same person.

I suppose I could get discouraged at that. But it’s probably the same for most people. We do grow, change, and mature through the years. But we also have our same personality, genetic makeup, and personal background that have stamped us in certain ways. I’ll probably be writing the same resolutions for Lent until the end of my life.

And that’s okay. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect in the sense of not having any faults. He just expects us to keep on trying, to never give up the fight, and to keep on plodding along in our spiritual life. When Jesus tells us to “be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect,” he doesn’t mean that we should have no flaws. The Greek word the Gospel uses for “perfect” (teleiois) has the sense of tending to grow to maturity. Something reaches perfection when it’s fully developed, like a fruit tree bearing luscious, juicy peaches or plums. Jesus is not telling us to be perfect as if that meant a static state, to be achieved once and for all. Instead, he’s telling us to always strive for spiritual growth. He’s warning us against getting too comfortable in our spiritual lives. And if anyone can make us uncomfortable, our enemies can. Loving our enemies will surely move us along the way of perfection.

Oratio

Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for supporting me with your grace, even when I fall again and again into the same sins and failings that have been with me for years. Help me to climb out of the muck, wipe off the mud, and keep on going. I know that your hand will always be there to help me up. I ask for your grace to reach the goal you are calling me to and not to let myself get too comfortable along the way. I may have to stop and rest for a while, but I know that you will stay with me, Lord, and together we’ll reach the goal.

Contemplatio

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Daughters of Saint Paul. (2008). Lenten Grace: Daily Gospel Reflections (pp. 30–31). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media. 

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