The Perfect Game

THE PERFECT GAME

In baseball, one of the ultimate achievements is that of the perfect game. The pitcher retires each batter in the course of nine innings for a total of 27 consecutive outs (professional level). It is a feat rarely achieved. In fact over the 140 years of major league baseball, it has been done 23 times most recently by Felix Hernandez in 2012.

Most recently the University of Connecticut's woman's basketball amassed its 100 consecutive victory translating into victories over four seasons. Quite a feat, but when they do eventually lose pundits will be dissecting their loss.

Last year my favorite basketball team the Golden State Warriors also compiled a wining streak of twenty-eight games. Perfection of a sort and as a fan I wished it would continue. If only I could go 28 days without sinning.

PERFECTION

Perfection is a word much maligned today as well as misunderstood in the terms of its application in the theological sense. We attempt to get to the "perfect weight." We rate people and things with the perfect 10. The word perfectionism is given to those who attempt to complete daily task seemingly without error. If you know a person who is like this you know that they can be very driven and become despondent if their task or interaction veers slightly off path. Everything must be perfectly aligned.

I am one of these people. Whether is it is a work task, writing this blog, a project at home, or an athletic feat I can indulge in the self-flagellation that makes me a difficult person to be around.  Yes, I am my own harshest critic. But where is God in all of this?

HOLINESS, TEMPLES, AND TURNING THE CHEEK

This in turn makes it difficult for me to adhere to today's teachings about holiness, being a temple of God, and turning the other cheek. 

Moses is instructed by the Lord to tell the Israelites. "to be holy." Do not bear grudges or seek revenge. "Love thy neighbor as yourself," says the Lord. Holiness and perfection seem to better suited for the saints. But with close examination of those we tend to put on a pedestal, one can find that they were not without fault, but indeed quite human.

Once one recognizes this a personal connection is realized.  I struggled with the idea of holiness and saints for many years. It was only upon reading about people such as St. Augustine, St Francis, Thomas Merton, and others that I began to understand holiness. It is not that I have to be perfect, but that I try to attain that perfection that the Lord is referring to.

MY BODY THE TEMPLE

In the second reading Paul talks of being a temple. For me this is difficult as I find my sinfulness as my downfall. The idea that the Spirit of God dwells in me can be far fetched and unachievable.

"Become a fool as to become wise"  and "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain" are two lines that are challenging. I enjoy the attention that is showered on me when I achieve or "complete a task perfectly, "but this is also quite dangerous. Increasingly I have become aware that this attention has only become to be because of God's infinite grace. No, I don't point to the sky as many athletes do, but I do give personal thanks.

The idea that the Lord knows my thoughts definitely brings me down of my stool of perfection and holiness. If I were to keep track during the course of a day or even an hour the number of unholy thoughts that arise from my fragile mind it would easily exceed the number of outs in a nine inning game .

But here is the catch. I am human therefore I am sinful and in need of God all the time. At time it seems that the Spirit has a reserved seat on my shoulder bringing to attention how I might react to these thoughts or temptations.  Thus as Paul states, I belong to God.

TURN THE CHEEK

One of the biggest challenges today is to turn the other cheek. In a society filled with trollers who are looking for the slightest opportunity to create a disparaging tweet filled with hate rhetoric it seems this is now a challenge long lost.  Yet that is perhaps because the people who are indeed taking that action do not publicize their actions, but live out those actions. As many theologians have stated this doesn't mean that one passively accepts the evil actions of others, but instead extends the opportunity to love.

Recently I was following Oroville Dam Twitter updates as the spillway began to erode. Being from the area I had a legitimate concern for the people who lived in the flood zone. However, I was appalled by hateful rhetoric by internet trollers and those who wished death and destruction on those fleeing the rising waters.  Internally I wanted to lash back at those insensitive people. Conversely I found there were those who instead of attacking those tweets, asked for prayers not only for those who were in danger, but for those who found it necessary to make such distasteful statements.

Likewise I found it refreshing today to read about a few people in our nation's legislative branch who are seeking to work together to solve the problems facing our country instead of engaging in social media slamming of their rivals. 

Forgiveness is key here. Realizing that the person who may offended me is just like me a sinner.  A personal reflection each day on my actions always brings this into perspective. I can quite easily on my stool of perfectionism cast judgement on others blindly. However, it doesn't take much for me to see another's actions in myself and my own past actions.

As Christians we are called to be set apart much like the Hebrews in the first reading. Being proactive in prayer for those who might have offended me  helps me live out  the messagel today.  Giving up the right to strike back and stand is a challenging, but it is ultimately what the world needs. It is on the road to perfection in the deepest sense.