(Deuteronomy 26: 16-19 / Psalm 119: 1-2, 4, 5,7-8 / Matthew 5: 43-48)
Taken together, the old testament reading and the gospel seem to be a paradox. First, God encourages his people to walk in his ways, observe his statues, degrees and commandments and listen to his voice. We will be a people sacred to the Lord, provided we observe all his commandments. This scripture passage greatly encourages us, to adhere to “the rules”.
There are many Catholics today that believe the church is all about “the rules” and they are turned off by the church because it seems so strict and “the rules” are not supposed to be more important than “love” for one another. So, they choose which rules they agree with, then take what they can use, and leave the rest.
In turn, many orthodox Catholics view this kind of parishioner as “cafeteria Catholics” who pick what they want to believe and decide for themselves what is right for their lives, rather than listen to God and His holy church. Some of these Catholics clearly break the rules by not going to confession or mass for years, while still receiving communion at Christmas, Easter, weddings and funerals without any regard for the state of their soul.
Many devout Catholics work toward spiritual perfection and will quote today’s gospel passage “So be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect”. They are so perfect you can feel inferior just standing next to them. Sometimes it seems they will correct every little flaw you have, to the point you feel bad about yourself, because you are not as holy as they are. Their “holiness” actually pushes people away rather than draw them nearer to Christ.
Jesus has a different view on “spiritual perfection” in today’s gospel. Spiritual perfection in his eyes is to welcome all people, the good and the bad, the perfect and the imperfect. Jesus mentions this more than once in the gospels. In Matthew 25:35, Jesus also said we will be judged at the final judgment by this criteria “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
To be perfect is to love imperfect people and more importantly, to make them feel loved, accepted, welcome and cared for. It is important to follow God’s rules, the ten commandments, and it is also important to follow Jesus’ command to love everyone, including those outside our own circle of family and friends.
