Resolution of Perfect

Resolutions can be life-changing commitments, or in some ways, they can fall flat.  More often than not, our good intentions fall short and we find ourselves living in the same routines and patterns that made us seek improvement in the first place.  As humans, we can be critical of ourselves and are constantly seeking ways of improving our lives, and because we struggle with bringing meaningful changes to our lives, it is no surprise the “self-help” industry brought in more than $11 billion dollars last year.  We use the seasons of life as starting blocks to propel us into our new and brighter futures. “This year…”, “this summer…”, “next school year...”, or even “this lent…” I promise myself I will do better in some area of my life to varying levels of success.  

Growing up, I made these same resolutions at each of life’s checkpoints, and for some reason the only ones that ever ended up working were the resolutions I made for Lent. It could be because giving up chocolate is not as difficult as it may seem, or even because they were measurable goals and the finish line to my sacrifice was always clearly in sight.  Or maybe, and most importantly, I had such a high success rate because I knew God was watching… God was watching the surveillance monitors and had his finger ready to press the “Smite” button if I reached for that candy bar.  

In today’s reading, Jesus challenges us to be “perfect.”  This comes at the end of Matthew’s depiction of the Sermon on the Mount, which apart from the Beatitudes, is known for being blunt and somewhat condemning.  He does not use a parable to illustrate his point, or give the crowd some encrypted message for later interpretation. Today’s reading is the culmination of the Sermon of the Mount, wrapped up nicely with this straight-forward challenge: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” - No easy task.  But when paired with the words “be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect,” the undertaking feels even more impossible.  

While a recurring message of the gospel is the power of love and forgiveness, perfection is never expected of us.  Throughout the Gospels, Jesus goes toe to toe with the Pharisees and blesses the imperfect people he meets. We are constantly reminded of our sinfulness, but Jesus recognizes our flaws and gives us this challenge anyway.  And his challenge is very direct. Loving those who love you? How hard is that?... “do not the tax collectors do the same?” I imagine Jesus looking at my Lenten resolutions and saying, “Seriously? Candy bars? Even pagans can give up candy bars...You can do more...”

The challenge is to go out of our way to show love to our enemies, and in doing so, to strive for something meaningful.  This is the reminder that Lent provides us. Do something that is difficult but powerful. Acts of love towards those who have wronged us, hurt us, or even grown apart from us take guts.  Making time for a stranger who is suffering, lonely, poor, or sick can impact the world in ways we will never truly know. While our imperfections make us human, our resolutions for perfection are unrealistic, but the desire to reach for perfection, to seek God through our actions, brings love and joy to our world.  It is because Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us in the Lenten season that I can reach outside my comfort zone and try to be “perfect.” 

Where can I make an effort to be mend a relationship today? Tomorrow? Throughout this Lenten season?

Author: T.J. Howard, Science Department