Daily Gospel Reflection for February 19, 2023

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Like all good teachers, Jesus begins with what is already known to His listeners in this passage: an eye for an eye, love your neighbor but hate your enemy. He moves quickly though from fairness and familiarity to generosity and heroic, unconditional love. He takes His followers from what is possible on their own strength to that which is impossible without His power. This is the entire arc of spiritual maturity from “tit for tat” to the fullness of heavenly perfection.

Are any of you also recovering perfectionists? I have worked so hard to let go of my need to get it all “just right” that I bristle when Jesus says to be perfect. Perfectionism mocks me because I can’t attain it this side of heaven. It makes me focus on actions rather than growing in holiness. But the Greek for perfect is teleios, used only in this passage and in Matthew 19:21, when Jesus speaks to the rich young man. Teleios means “brought to its end; finished; complete; fully grown in maturity.”

This definition helps me breathe more easily. The focus is less on human perfection and more on reaching the fullness of love for which we were created, a fullness modeled by Jesus through His complete oneness with the Father. We will only move from fairness to sacrificial love when we are full of the Father’s love, when we let ourselves be loved in abundance so that Divine Love can complete us and spill over to our family, our community, and yes – even our enemies.

This means we can humanly be both perfect and imperfect as long as we always bring our hearts, our love, and all our efforts to the Lord for Him to complete them, for Him to perfect them with His grace and abundance.

Ponder:

What might Jesus be asking you to let go of in order for Him to love more perfectly in and through you?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, help me receive the abundance of Your love so that I can love my family and all those around me with Your heart and Your perfection. Help me open myself fully to the shower of Your grace.

Click to tweet:
We only move from fairness to sacrificial love when we let ourselves be loved in abundance so that Divine Love can complete us and spill over to our family, our community, and yes – even our enemies. #DailyGospel

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