Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church
This past Friday at Mass, there was a young boy who was sitting several pews behind me with his family. He seemed pretty happy to be there and looked like a kid who could probably get along with just about anybody and fit in almost anywhere. However, what grabbed my attention right away was the t-shirt that he was wearing. It was a bright orange t-shirt, which obviously stood out, with a large navy-blue Triquetra (a symbol of the Trinity) across the front. Below the large Trinitarian symbol read the words, “Be Perfect.” What an incredible statement! As we were leaving Mass, I complimented the young man on his shirt and asked him where he had gotten it. Clearly fond of his shirt, the boy smiled and replied, “I don’t know. I got it last Christmas.” Whether deliberate or unintentional, his statement was powerful: Be Perfect. The simplicity of this statement resonated with me, but my unspoken, natural follow-up question to this statement seemed to be anything but simple: “How?”
How can we be perfect? How can we be holy? Perfection is an attribute that we find extremely difficult to assign to ourselves. Aware of our failures, sins, and shortcomings, we think of perfection as an impossibility or an absurdity- something to characterize God, not us. Even throughout our lives we are continually reassured and encouraged with the words, “no one is perfect.” But in today’s familiar Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus answers the question of the Rich Young Man by saying, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” For Jesus, perfection (or rather, holiness) is an actual possibility for humanity which can be realized through following Him. In other words, holiness is made possible by being a disciple of Jesus Christ. But the discipleship that Jesus calls us to is not without condition. On the contrary, to be a disciple of Jesus we are faced with the challenge of single-minded obedience to the Son of God.
In his book, “The Cost of Discipleship”, Dietrich Bonhoeffer comments that the Rich Young Man may see Jesus’ call to “come, follow me” as an opportunity for moral adventure or a thrilling way of life. In this scenario, single-minded obedience to Jesus Himself no longer becomes the focus, but rather the adventure itself, which can be abandoned on a whim. However, Jesus makes Himself clear. To be a disciple, we must be “all in.” As Bonhoeffer writes, “Jesus has to create a situation in which there can be no retreat, an irrevocable situation.” Therefore, Jesus calls the Rich Young Man to a life of total surrender- of complete abandonment to all previous attachments and to embrace a life of voluntary poverty. This act of single-minded obedience is a prerequisite to his discipleship. Jesus says, “THEN come, follow me.” It is only after he is willing to first follow Jesus in obedience of the commandments and through a life of voluntary poverty that discipleship of the Person of Jesus, and consequently holiness, can be realized.
The call of single-minded obedience is mirrored in today’s first reading from Ezekiel. Before the death of his wife, Ezekiel is told by God: “Do not mourn or weep or shed any tears. Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.” We many consider these instructions to be arbitrary or even uncompassionate orders from God. However, in single-minded obedience, Ezekiel follows God’s commandments without deviation or complaint. In doing so, Ezekiel provides an example to the entire people of Israel on how to live in single-minded obedience, even when faced with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls many to spontaneous, simple, single-minded obedience. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore,” Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery (John 8:11). Peter and Andrew are told, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17). On the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples, “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). As disciples ourselves, how are we being called, in specific ways, to single-minded obedience to our Lord, Jesus Christ? What are we holding on to? What areas of our lives are we still unwilling to submit in obedience to Jesus?
My answer to my self-imposed question, “How can I be perfect?” is this: single-minded obedience to Jesus. The answer to this question is simpler than I originally suspected, but it also far more difficult. How great would it be if I could simply wear a t-shirt with a caption that read, “Single-Minded Obedience” in response to my call to perfection? But being a disciple is far more challenging and we cannot do it without God’s grace. Today, let us pray for the grace to be able to respond with our lives in obedience to Christ’s call to radical discipleship and to listen to the words of Mary at the Wedding at Cana when she said, “do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5). Amen.
-Ryan J. Mahle