Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr. Bernardo R. Collera, SVD – Catholic Trade Manila
Tuesday 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Perfectionists love using the word “perfect.” Yes, some people seem unable to tolerate mistakes and be easily irritated by human foibles, and even reject the imperfect ones. And there are people who hate to be perfect, even singing it out “I’m sorry I can’t be perfect.”
But perfect we are called to be – as the heavenly Father is perfect. The Gospel according to St. Luke does not use the word, but he quotes the same context as Matthew’s. In the New Jerusalem Bible (1985), Matthew’s text does not carry the word “perfect” but has instead the phrase “set no bounds to your love…” (v. 48) So to be perfect also means to set no bounds to one’s love.
Christ was then right when He said that we love only those who love us; we greet only those who greet us and even fear strangers. We are thus pagans and our love bound by race, culture, and narrow interests. Yet, as St. Paul would say, it was in this that God showed His unbounded, perfect love for us “…that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5,8).
This is a consoling thought, a call, a seed God plants in our hearts in the midst of our incapacity to love. It is thus a challenge for us to experience this love so that knowing it has been planted in us, we can start to nurture this seed and make it sprout, grow sturdy and bear fruit.
The call to perfection is a call to experience the unbounded love of God that frees us to be perfect and set no bounds to our love have seen this fact as we celebrate our SVD centennial in the Philippines: He has never failed in his unbounded love for us!
Thus, the call that Jesus gives us in this Gospel is for us to learn to broaden our capacity to love so that Christ can continue His mission in us — first by experiencing his love, and then by making his love a reality, in our midst in, with, through and by us. With these Christ becomes present in our midst. And all shall know that we belong to Him.
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