7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel, Matthew 5:38-48, is the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.  In these ten verses, Jesus gives us the ultimate challenge for Christian living. These are the standards we must meet to fulfill our obligations in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus tells us we must:

· offer no resistance to evil people

· turn the other cheek

· If someone wants your shirt, give them your coat as well

· go the second mile

· give your money away to anyone who asks for it

· love your enemies

· pray for the people who hurt you

· finally, be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I don’t know about you, but I know that I am far from achieving this level of perfection.  Here is the good news; the perfection Jesus is talking about is not what we usually understand as perfect (without flaw).  Scripture scholars tell us that the word St. Matthew used here was telos, a Greek term that means mature, fully-grown or adult.   It can also mean reaching the end, achieving a goal, a purpose or complete.

God does not expect us to be flawless.  God does expect us to strive for completeness, for holiness, for spiritual maturity in the Kingdom.  In his collection of essays, What’s Wrong with the World (1910), G. K Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”  Our challenge is to try, not once or twice and then give up.  We should wake up every morning with the intention to live the Christian ideal.   And if we fail, we should pray that God will give us the opportunity to try again.

God our Father,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have shown us your tenderness
and accepted us, sinful people,
as your sons and daughters.
Share your heart with us,
help us be merciful and understanding people,
that we may learn from the way you have treated us
to accept everyone without conditions,
to forgive and forget all hurts,
so that we become more like you.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Amen