The marks of mature discipleship

A Reflection for Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Find today’s readings here.

When I was studying for the priesthood, I had a Scripture professor who told us, “If you ever find yourself explaining Greek or Hebrew words in one of your homilies, stop talking immediately! Theatrics of scholarship are a sign that you have nothing of substance to say. Go back and pray over the Word and preach out of the gifts God gives you there!” In my filial respect for this particular professor I try to do exactly what he says as often as possible. Occasionally, though, the Scriptures present a term so problematic that I do not know how to break open the Word without giving some linguistic background. Today’s first reading from James has such a term.

“And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

That word “perfect” is troublesome, since it sets a standard that most people feel they cannot achieve. Even worse, it sets a standard that some people only pretend to achieve. In their pretense, they live the double life of a hypocrite. It might be tempting to ignore the word entirely, treating it as a term specific to a certain time and place and never meant to be a guide for universal discipleship. Unfortunately, “perfect” is a term found throughout the New Testament (Mt 5:48, 19:21, Rom 12:2, 1 Jn 4:18, etc.), indicating that Christians in different times and places held this to be their standard for moral action.

The Greek word translated as “perfect” is téleios, which means “something brought to its conclusion or fulfillment.” It can mean “perfect,” in the sense of a project that has been completed, but its deep meaning is something more like “mature, fully grown.” This meaning is clear in Hebrews 5:14, in which the author contrasts the “milk” consumed by the spiritually immature with the “solid food” eaten by the téleios.

This nuance contrasts with the English word “perfect,” the primary definition of which is “flawless; pure; blameless.” Flawless discipleship is probably beyond the reach of most Christians. Mature discipleship, by contrast, is something we can all strive to achieve. 

Mature disciples seek out Christ and learn to be fulfilled with the grace he offers. This is the message of today’s Gospel. Probably many of us at certain points in our discipleship would have preferred Jesus to perform some special wonder for us, some special miracle or intervention that would have made our lives easier or better, that would have spared us of grief or suffering. How much easier discipleship would be if we each had our own private sign that Christ was indeed our savior. What we get instead are the signs Jesus pointed out to the disciples of John the Baptist: “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them (Mt 11:5).” 

Mature disciples are those for whom the liberation of their fellow human beings is enough. We can know that Christ is alive and at work among us every time we see someone else regain their freedom, their joy, or their ability to love. These are the signs by which Christ confirms his love for us.

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