The Lord Christ Calls to Perfection
The Lord Christ Calls to Perfection
The Lord Christ, to Him be glory, was continually teaching, in every place and at every time. They used to call Him “Teacher” or “Good Teacher.” And since He is perfect in everything, He called to ideal perfection. Foremost among this, He called to perfection, saying: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
*And of course, the perfection to which the Lord Christ calls is relative perfection, because absolute perfection belongs to God alone and to no one else.
Relative perfection is called such in relation to what a human being possesses of ability and potential, and in relation to what God grants of help and strength to walk in the spiritual path, and what He also gives of grace that assists and strengthens. It is also in relation to the extent of a person’s response to the work of God within him and to the work of God with him.
*The life of spiritual perfection represents a person’s relationship with God—blessed be His name—his relationship with people, and his relationship with himself or his own being.
As for a person’s relationship with God, He summarized it by saying: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). And the phrase “with all your heart” means that there should be no competitor to God in your heart. You should not love anything or anyone against your love for God, nor love anyone more than your love for God. Concerning this, the Lord says: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37).
*Our love for God means that we obey Him in everything. For He says: “He who loves Me will keep My commandments.” And if it happens that we break one of His commandments, we must repent quickly, for repentance is a necessary condition for God’s forgiveness. For He says: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).
In order for us to receive God’s forgiveness, we must also forgive those who have sinned against us. And we say continually in our daily prayers: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us.” And the Lord Christ taught us, saying: “For if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:15).
*In our love for God, we must at all times seek His kingdom. The Lord Christ spoke much about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. And He taught us in our daily prayers—which we repeat many times every day—to say continually to God: “Your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). This petition carries many meanings, among them that Your kingdom may come upon us—upon our hearts, our thoughts, our feelings, and our senses—so that You, O Lord, reign over all that is within us. You reign over our will, and we become wholly Yours, doing at all times what pleases You, as we say this petition continually in the Morning Prayer.
The phrase “Your kingdom come” also means that God may reign over the world and all that is in it, so that Satan does not reign spreading corruption, frivolity, wars, tribulations, and enmities. Rather, God reigns, spreading peace, love, and prosperity in the world. And the phrase “Your kingdom come” means that God reigns over all people, guiding them to a life of righteousness and virtue.
*And from the perfection of our love for God is true prayer, which is not from the lips but from the heart. For God reproached the people of old, saying: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mark 7:6). Therefore, not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, “but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
And regarding the perfection of prayer, the Lord Christ said: “Men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1), and “pray without ceasing.” This means that a person should not limit himself to certain prayers and be content with that, but at all times he can lift his heart to God and pray.
*From the perfection of our love for God is that we believe in Him and believe in His care for us and His concern for all our matters. For the Lord Christ, to Him be glory, said: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink… Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? … And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:25–33).
*As for the words required from a person, the Lord Christ says: “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8), and “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). The pure heart contains no evil at all, but only the love of God and the love of all people. And from a pure heart no corrupt word proceeds from the mouth. Concerning this, the Lord Christ says: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil” (Luke 6:45).
Thus, the evil word—whether a word of insult or abuse, a word of harshness, or a word of contempt, and so on—all these originate from the heart. It is a double sin: a sin of the heart and then a sin of the tongue.
The Lord Christ warns against the sins of the tongue, saying: “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:37). And He also says: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36). And the phrase “idle word” does not mean only an evil word, but also every word that is not for edification, that is, it benefits nothing.
*As for the saying of the Lord Christ: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9), it means that there should be peace between us and others, and also that we make peace among others themselves. I remember that whenever I used to visit a home of our children in the West, the first word I would say as I took my first step was: The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house’” (Luke 10:5).
In order for us to reach perfect peace with people, the Lord Christ set for us two rules: the first is endurance and tolerance, and the second is forgiveness of those who offend us. Concerning this, He said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt. 5:38–41).
*Perhaps among the most perfect commandments that the Lord Christ presented regarding dealing with enemies or offenders is His saying: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matt. 5:44, 46).
Christianity considers that our true enemy is Satan. As for human enemies, they are victims of Satan who need us to pray for them, endure them, and forgive them.
*And among the perfect commandments that the Lord Christ set in dealing with people is the commandment of giving, which is sometimes called almsgiving. For He said: “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” (Matt. 5:42). Thus He raised people above the level of paying tithes, which was in the Old Testament, and considered it merely the minimum level of giving. And He commanded care for the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, and the prisoner. And He said: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40).
And He raised the level of giving to perfection in His saying: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
*And among the teachings of the Lord Christ in relationships with people is His saying: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). And also His saying: “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt. 7:2). This is the original and perfect standard in dealing with others: that we do for people what we desire them to do for us.
*And among the perfections that the Lord Christ desires in our relationship with worldly and material matters is His saying: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
The whole world is nothing compared to our destiny in eternity.
In conclusion, I congratulate you on this feast, hoping for you a joyful spiritual life through it, and hoping for our country goodness, prosperity, and peace, and hoping that God may grant success to President Mubarak in all his communications and travels, and in his labor for the sake of Egypt and for the cause of peace in general.
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