July 12

heavenly Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) is being translated as “Be whole, as your Father in heaven is whole”? I wasn’t sure what that meant the first time I heard it, but I did feel relieved. There was no way I was ever going to be perfect; maybe there was some wiggle room in the word “whole.” 
 
Recently I listened to a woman explain her understanding of wholeness. Susan said it brought to mind whole numbers or integers, which are numbers without fractions. Fractions can mean numbers like one half or one third, but the word fraction can also mean “a piece broken off.” In Christian terms, to be broken off suggests not living in communion with God, others, self and creation. To be whole would be to live in unity, to understand myself in terms of the wholeness of creation. 
 
The same woman related the word integer to integrity. Both words are derived from a Latin root word meaning intact. “To be whole as your heavenly Father is whole” is to have one’s personhood intact, which I believe happens when one is connected to some sense of the divine.  
 
May we all find our way toward wholeness—all the while feeling grateful that our call is to unity and integrity, not perfection!