Pursuing perfection

Fr. Russ Bergman
Feb 28
1 min read

God asks us to be perfect. On the surface, that can seem like an impossible task. God’s perfection is beyond our reach. A seminary professor explained it this way. Be perfected, as in telos, our end goal. This comes from the Greek, Telios, meaning to become whole or complete. Looking back to Moses’ words, to be a people peculiarly of the Lord. The wholeness of each person is unique; becoming whole is the goal for every human. As we spiritually mature, we move toward the most complete person that God designed, to the extent we extend that love. Moses sets the tone that observing God’s commands takes all our heart and soul, ending with how we’re meant to be sacred. To become sacred moves us from finite humanity to the heavenly, eternal realm. The end goal is eternal union with God. Our challenge is receiving God’s love and to share it beyond friendly boundaries. Breaking down barriers to love those who show us none moves us closer to the wholly perfect love that has been shared with us. God’s love extends to us for us to extend beyond expected human limitations. May God help us be sharers of love, helping our enemies experience part of the ultimate end of unending love.

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