There are three categories of perfection. There's physical perfection, intellectual
perfection, and spiritual perfection. Physical perfection could be beauty or athleticism. So
physical beauty or like the Olympic athletes would be two types of physical perfection.
Intellectual perfection is perfection of the mind, intelligence, Albert Einstein.
Spiritual perfection is perfection of the soul, its holiness. It's the perfection of charity.
When that gospel says, be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect,
it's the perfection of charity that we seek. We are to seek. There's one story that kind of
illustrates like what is God's perfection, it's called. And it's the story of the Cush School in
Brooklyn, New York, which provides education to learning impaired children. And at a fundraising
dinner, the father of one of those, the children at the Cush School delivered a speech,
extolling the school and its staff, and asking, where is the perfection in my son, Shaya?
Everything God does is done with perfection, but my child cannot understand things as other
children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures. Where is God's perfection in my son?
And he answers his own question by saying,
when God brings a child like Shaya into the world, the perfection that God seeks is in the way that
people react to him. He then told the following story about his son, Shaya. One afternoon, Shaya
and his father walked past a park where some boys were playing baseball. Shaya asked, do you think
they will let me play? Shaya's father knew his son was not at all athletic, and that most boys
would not want him on their team. He said, I'm not going to let you play. I'm going to let you play.
But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play, it would give him a sense of
belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked if Shaya could play.
The boy looked for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands
and said, we're losing by six runs. The game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team
and we'll put him up to bat in the ninth inning.
Shaya's father was ecstatic, and Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go
play out in short center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs,
but they were still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth, Shaya's team scored again,
and now with two outs and the bases loaded with the winning run on base, Shaya was scheduled to hit.
Would the team actually let Shaya bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible for Shaya to hit
because he didn't even know how to hold the bat properly.
However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps forward
and lobbed the ball softly.
So that Shaya could at least make contact.
The first pitch came in and Shaya swung wildly and missed.
One of Shaya's teammates came up and together held the bat with him
and faced the pitcher, waiting for the next pitch.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward and tossed the ball softly towards Shaya.
As the pitch came in, Shaya and his teammates were able to hit the ball softly.
Shaya and his teammates were able to hit the ball softly.
Shaya and his teammates were able to hit the ball softly.
Shaya and his teammates swung and together they hit a slow ground ball back to the pitcher.
The pitcher picked up the ball and could easily have thrown to the first baseman.
Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game.
Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it high into right field,
beyond the reach of the first baseman.
Everyone started yelling,
Shaya run to first, run to first.
Shaya and his life.
had never run to first.
He scampered down the baseline,
wide-eyed and startled.
By the time he reached first base,
the right fielder had the ball.
He could have thrown the ball to second base,
where Shea would have been out,
because Shea was still running.
But the right fielder understood
what the pitcher's intentions were,
so he threw the ball high and far
over the second baseman's head.
Everyone yelled,
run to second, run to second.
Shea ran toward second base,
and the runners ahead of him
circled the bases toward home.
As Shea reached second base,
the opposing shortstop ran to him,
turned him in the direction of third base,
and shouted, run to third.
As Shea rounded third,
the boys from both teams ran behind him,
screaming, Shea run home.
Shea ran home, stepped on home plate,
and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders
and made him the hero,
as he had just hit a grand slam
and won the game for his team.
That day, said the father softly with tears,
those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection.
Like we say, in every circumstance,
it's the perfection of charity that God seeks of us.
They say every situation of our lives
is an occasion of virtue.
And virtue is the practice of charity
in different circumstances.
Sometimes it's being merciful as God is merciful.
Sometimes it's being patient as God is patient.
Every circumstance, our expression of love
is the practice of virtue.
We say to be humble,
to be humble as He is humble,
to be charitable as He is charitable.
That's how we fulfill that command.
Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.