"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect."
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Jesus asks us to be perfect just as our heavenly Father, who is perfect.
By nature God is perfect, unlimited in all His attributes.
But by nature we are limited and imperfect.
We cannot compare our nature with God's, because we are natural beings whereas God is a Supernatural Being.
God is self existent.
But we were created by God from nothing
and are cent per cent dependent on God for our existence.
How can a created and dependent natural being be as perfect as self existent Supernatural Being?
To understand Jesus' words we must first know how we were created.
We were created body and soul, a combination of matter and spirit.
We were created to lead a spiritual life with the company of the material body in this world
and to enter eternity to live for ever in union with the Creator,
leaving the material body behind in this world.
How can a natural being get united with the Supernatural Being?
For this our soul has to be raised to a supernatural level.
How is it possible?
For us it is not possible, but for God nothing is impossible.
God can elevate the nature of our souls by infusing into them His supernatural sanctifying grace.
Our souls don’t become something other than souls; they don’t cease to be themselves.
Grace elevates their nature.
Our intellects are given the new power of faith,
something they don’t have at the merely natural level.
Our wills are given the new powers of hope and charity,
things also absent at the merely natural level.
To understand the above better
we must understand the two kinds of grace,
that God gives us during our spiritual journey.
God gives two kinds of grace:
sanctifying grace
and actual grace.
Sanctifying grace remains in the soul.
It makes the soul holy by giving it supernatural life.
Actual grace, by contrast, doesn’t live in the soul
but acts on the soul from the outside.
It will help the will and intellect to seek out and retain sanctifying grace.
One illustration to make what is said more understandable.
Suppose we want to go to the bottom of the sea, can we do it as we are?
By our nature we cannot breathe under water.
So we will have to equip ourselves with proper breathing apparatus.
Without proper equipments such as oxygen tanks to breathe under water, we will get lost.
It is much the same with our soul.
In its natural state, it isn’t fit for heaven.
Unless it is elevated to a supernatural state, it cannot enter supernatural heaven.
Sanctifying grace elevates the nature of the soul by giving it supernatural life.
We were born with original sin, that means without sanctifying grace.
When we were baptised, our original sin was forgiven
and we were blessed with sanctifying grace
which gave us supernatural life
and made us heirs to heaven.
When we commit mortal sin we lose the sanctifying grace received in baptism and our soul undergoes spiritual death.
Then actual grace begins its work.
Repentance for our sin and confession brings back the sanctifying grace and the supernatural life.
Now coming to the main point,
Our Lord has said,
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect."
How is it possible for us, creatures, to be as perfect as the Creator?
By ourselves nothing is possible, but by God with us everything is possible.
In our heavenward journey, God is our starting place and destination.
We came from God
and are going to God,
and what is more,
with God.
In short, God is our everything.
Our destination is God, who is perfect.
When we reach our destination, God, we get united with Him.
Imperfect gets united with the Perfect!
God is our Father, and we are heirs to whatever is His.
After the eternal union we can say with a heart, overflowing with joy,
"We may be imperfect as human beings,
but we are united with Perfection
and we will enjoy the union for all eternity,
together with Jesus,
who sacrificed His life
for our eternal life."
Lourdu Selvam.
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