7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

What does Jesus mean when He says, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect”?  The Greek word for perfect comes from the root word telos, meaning ‘end’.  The Greeks called something ‘perfect’, not because it was flawless, but if it fulfilled its end, if it did what it was made to do.  God, from all eternity, is a deep, rich, loving, giving relationship.  We humans are made in the image and likeness of God: we are made to have deep, rich, loving, giving relationships.  When other things get in the way of our relationships – our job, our hobbies, our selfish interests – we are imperfect.  When we put our relationships first – with God, our spouse, our kids, our families, our friends – even though we aren’t flawless, we can still be perfect.