Perfection and Union with God

Have you ever wondered about the call to "perfection, as your heavenly Father is perfect?" How can we answer that call, when we always hear, "nobody is perfect." That is true if "perfection" is defined in earthly terms as "not ever making mistakes."

But, those of us who are children of God, St. Therese of Lisieux instructs a Divine definition: "Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be...who resists His grace in nothing." Ralph Martin in his book, "The Fulfillment of all Desire" writes that St. Teresa of Avila explains that "holiness is a matter of bringing our wills into union with God's will" (p. 2).

I always find that St. Faustina echoes scripture in her Diary, the saints that came before her, and even current Magisterial documents that were published after her death. In paragraph 1107 of her Diary during meditation she writes:

"Neither graces, nor revelations, nor raptures, nor gifts granted to a soul make it perfect, but rather the intimate union of the soul with God. These gifts are merely ornaments of the soul, but constitute neither its essence nor its perfection. My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God. God never violates our free will. It is up to us whether we want to receive God's grace or not. It is up to us whether we will cooperate with it or waste it."

If you have not heard of this meaning for "perfection" before, we can celebrate that it is way beyond not making mistakes. Perfection relies on God's mercy. He makes us perfect. He gives us union with Him. Our part is to desire union. In the simplest terms, it is the desire "to be with God." For God, that is to be "through Him, with Him, and in Him." It is more than being His friend or leaning on Him, which we do through His Son Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. When we are "through Him, with Him, and in Him" we have mystical union. It is "mystical" because it is a mystery that is beyond the ways of understanding something as we do as human beings living in the earthly kingdom. 

The saints are travel guides through the Kingdom of God. They use images and metaphors to depict what happens when we desire union with God. It is right and good that they do so because Jesus used symbols and parables to illustrate the Kingdom of God, too. For example, "the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed" (Mt. 13.31) and "my Father is like a Vine Dresser" (Jn 15:1).  St. Teresa of Avila speaks of desire to be with God through the imagery of the soul being "like a diamond castle." She is our travel guide through the castle, what we will find in the rooms of the castle and outside the castle which are things and events which will try and keep us from journeying into the diamond castle. 

St. Teresa of Avila teaches that it is knowing that Christ the King dwells in the innermost room of the castle that will help us to desire to have union with God. We can't journey towards something we do not know or believe exists. The saints are our travel guides for union with God. But how can we get people to pay attention to the saints who have achieved union with God?

I believe that the mandate from God through Saint Faustina to "proclaim His Mercy" is the key starting point when trying to evangelize the Good News. The Good News is ultimately that we can have union with God. We are taught, the Good News of what Christ did for us. My grandmother before she died expressed her wonderment about Redemption. She asked, "What good did it do?" I was small and could not express the answer. The second part to the Good News is "union with God." That is the good that it did. Before the Redemption we could not have union with God. It is more than how it is expressed which is "getting to Heaven." But, one does not have to wait to die to get to Heaven. The soul can have union with God, now, here in the earthly kingdom because their soul offers the means. 

In evangelization and catechesis, there should not be a disconnect between the announcement of the Good News and perfection.

When I was driving home from Mass today, I noticed the full parking lot of the new second location for the Methodist Church, of the Resurrection. I thought of all the people who have heard of the Good News and are going to Church at non-Catholic Christian communities. But, they are not hearing the Good News in its fullness. They are missing out on learning about having mystical union with God. They are taught that the Good News brings joy here on earth, and it does in a limited way. But they are disadvantaged because they are not hearing that God is so merciful that he wants union with them here on earth. The theology and spirituality of union with God by doing His Will when He presents it in grace moments is not present in the non-Catholic Christian communities and congregations. It has not been present in the formal catechesis of the Catholic Church either.

Grace has lead many saints to be our travel guides to union with God, therefore, we don't have any reason to not strive for perfection. It is God's will and if we want to be perfect, we will do this Will of God. He is waiting for us in center room of the castle.