Jesus tells us to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Christian Verghese, SJ, reflects on how we live up to this calling. Based on the readings for Sunday, February 19, 2023.
Have you ever struggled with being ‘enough’?
Hi, I’m Christian Verghese, and this is my One-Minute reflection
Many of us struggle with feeling like we are ‘enough,’ often setting our own expectations of what it means to be perfect.
I’ll be enough when I lose weight, when I get the next degree, when I meet the expectations of my parents or overcome the loneliness in my life.
But in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to “be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is Perfect.” This may seem daunting, but Jesus offers a new measure for leading our lives toward perfection: loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us.
Jesus invites us into a tension of the already and the not yet. We are already loved by God, meaning that in a sense, we are always already enough.
But we have not yet reached the perfection of our being together as a whole.
Let’s remember that we are enough as loved sinners and let that grace inspire us to share it with the world.
