Divine Appeal Reflection - 283
Today, consider in Divine Appeal 283: "I am with you and I want perfection."
To hear Christ whisper, “I am with you,” is to discover that perfection is not a lonely climb but a shared journey of love. Our Lord does not summon us to a rigid standard, but to a union where every breath leans toward heaven. Perfection is not carved only in saints who glow through stained glass; it takes flesh in mothers who stay awake with restless children, in workers who refuse dishonesty though no one sees, in students who wrestle with studies while clinging to faith, and in the sick who offer hidden pain as prayer. The Acts of the Apostles shows us ordinary lives that became extraordinary once they knew heaven had already begun within them (Acts 2:42-47). Paul himself teaches that perfection is not a spotless strength but a fidelity born within weakness—grace turning frailty into victory (2 Cor 12:9). The Catechism reminds us that perfection is simply love carried to its fullness (CCC 1827). Every day becomes an altar, and love is the candle that must not go out. To let it burn is to let Christ’s presence saturate youth and age, joy and trial—until each moment becomes a hymn rising toward eternity.
Perfection, then, is not something we acquire like an award, but the state of belonging entirely to God. It is heaven quietly breaking into earth through fidelity that seems small. At home, it is patience when tempers flare. At work, it is integrity when compromise feels easier. In the young, it is purity when the world flatters with illusions. In the old, it is prayer when strength ebbs away. The first Christians bore this truth with courage—singing hymns in prison cells (Acts 16:25), showing that perfection does not wait for ideal conditions; it blossoms in whatever soil God places us. Christ Himself is perfection, and by abiding in Him, we are drawn into the same wholeness (CCC 2013). The heart of the believer learns to breathe: “Jesus, remain with me—make this moment holy.” With that cry, even the smallest gesture—a smile offered in fatigue, a hidden sacrifice, or a whispered prayer—ascends as incense. Perfection is not distant. It is immediate. It is lived second by second when eyes stay lifted to heaven and hearts carry the fire of love that will not die.
But how is such constancy sustained? A flame, left untended, fades. So too perfection must be nourished. The Spirit pours grace, but our cooperation keeps it alive. Trials will come—illness, loss, misunderstanding, loneliness. Yet these very crosses, embraced in union with Christ, become opportunities for holiness (Col 1:24). Health or frailty, youth or age—every stage of life is an arena for love. To live perfection is to say “yes” to heaven now, in ordinary fidelity and extraordinary trust. The Church, in her wisdom, reminds us that prayer is both a gift and a task (CCC 2558). It is contemplative in heart—lifting eyes to God—and incarnate in practice—letting love spill into daily acts. Even when we stumble, we are not excluded; Christ Himself is the one who perfects us. Our part is to rise again, rekindle the flame, and keep going, for the One who began the work will bring it to completion. Thus, perfection is not burden but friendship—walking with Christ who gently repeats, “I am with you always.”
If perfection means living every moment for heaven, then we need simple daily rhythms to protect the flame. First, prayer—not always long, but constant, like the apostles who prayed at every hour (Acts 3:1; CCC 2742). Even “Jesus, I love You” can sanctify a day. Second, listening to the Word—allowing Scripture to shape our choices, echoing Paul’s call to let Christ’s Word dwell richly in us (Col 3:16). Third, charity in small acts—choosing love in gestures unseen, for perfection is nothing else but charity (CCC 1827). Fourth, offering trials with Christ—illness, fatigue, or setbacks become oil for the lamp when united to His Cross (Col 1:24). Fifth, Eucharistic living—whether or not we receive daily, we live as bread broken for others and wine poured out in service, like the early Church’s fellowship (Acts 2:42; CCC 1397). These little practices, when done faithfully, keep the heart burning until eternity embraces time.
Prayer
Adorable Jesus, Eucharistic Flame, consume us in Your sacrifice. Teach us to live broken yet blessed, poured out in love, constant in fidelity. May our daily communion make us perfect in charity, keeping our candle burning until absorbed into the eternal Feast, where You reign, our Perfection and our All.
Sr. Anna Ali of the Most Holy Eucharist, intercede for us.
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