The Inner da Vinci

Saturday of the 1^st Week of Lent

Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48

Unlike many masters, Leonardo da Vinci finished very few paintings. You may not know it, but he was a notorious perfectionist and procrastinator. Despite working for many years on the Mona Lisa, he actually never finished it. His contemporaries said he would stare for an hour or more at one of his works in progress, add a brushstroke to it, then get distracted and forget about it. The result? A series of unfinished works, many of which could have been masterpieces, but none of which are.

I thought about that when I heard Jesus urge his disciples to “be perfect.” It sounds like an impossible standard, especially when dealing with enemies, or people we find hard to get along with. My own attempts at trying to be perfect too often end in procrastination and perfectionism; I put it off, praying for the “perfect” time to reconcile, or until for the “perfect” words come to me. I think you can guess the rest; there never is a perfect time, I never find the perfect words, and, when the answer I’m waiting for never comes, I get distracted by other things and forget it. The result? A series of broken relationships, many of which could have been fixed, but none of which will be.

If that doesn’t sound like what Jesus wants, that’s because it isn’t. The fact is that, when we look at the original language of the gospel, our Lord doesn’t say “be perfect,” as in right now; rather, he speaks in the future tense: “You are to be perfect,” or, “You will be perfect.” In other words, reaching perfection is a process, something we have to work toward. God knows there is no “perfect” time to begin that process, but He also knows – and uses the present tense to tell us – that there is an “acceptable” time: Now (2 Corinthians 6:2).

It’s easy to come up with reasons why “acceptable” doesn’t seem good enough, and “now” is too soon to begin healing difficult and broken relationships, but remember, that’s our inner perfectionist and procrastinator talking. It’s true that we may not say exactly the right things, do all that we should do to heal the wounds we’ve suffered or caused, or carry our anger or resentment a little too long. But God isn’t looking for instant perfection in love, He’s looking for us to keep trying, to make the effort to grow in love, which is growth in holiness; to take another step on the road to sanctity.

It’s like St. Josemaria Escriva once said: A saint is a sinner who keeps trying. So here, today, right now, God is asking us to seize the moment He gives us, and to keep working with the mindset Moses spoke of in the first reading – our entire heart and soul. If we do that, He has promised to be with us and give us the grace to make progress, no matter how small. That’s a lot more than our inner da Vinci has ever accomplished.

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