Be Perfect as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect

Part of the message that Jesus delivered to his disciples during the Sermon on the Mount was, "So be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect." (Mt 5:48) This is the root of our vocational call to holiness, gifted to us in the Sacrament of Baptism. Part of the Serran mission is to support fellow Serrans in their individual response to the Vocational Call to Holiness. This blog page is intended to do just that. We all struggle at times with holiness and our reponse to God's call. Here, we provide helpful links and original reflections about living out our Catholic Christian call to "be merciful just as your Father is merciful." (Lk 6:36)

Monday, September 30, 2024
Scriptures: Matthew 28:20, John 14:20
You're comfortable in your role. Life is going along smoothly. Then you get a feeling akin to the anticipation of a slow curve ball in the seventh inning. What to do?
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Scriptures: Luke 9:13
To experience the miraculous, it is sometimes necessary to do the ridiculous.
Monday, August 26, 2024
Scriptures: Matthew 9:35-38
I wrote this note to my office staff in October 2010. I have re-worked it a bit here, so it makes sense reading it again 14 years later. God uses us everywhere He puts us. Don't miss an opportunity to be used . . . for His greater glory.
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Scriptures: Psalms 8:5
In a confession not long after moving back to the Kansas City area, I was given a penance that impacted me unlike any other. My confessor instructed me to say the Litany of Humility . . . three times! Startled at the instruction, my interior reaction was something like, "Wow, my pride must be much worse than I know." I had been given a prayer card years ago with the Litany of Humility printed on one side and an image of Our Lady of Grace on the other side. I had occasionally looked at it. I pulled it out and completed my penance. It's become a regular now.
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Scriptures: 2 Chronicles 7:14
On July 27, 2024, the Most Rev. Andrew H. Cozzens, Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston (MN), called on the faithful to increase their efforts at prayer and fasting for the sake of our country and our world. In his letter, composed in the course of his role at Board Chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, Bishop Cozzens references a recent event that occurred in conjunction with the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris - the insulting caricature of The Last Supper. This letter is a must read for anyone who hasn't seen it. May God have mercy on us!
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Scriptures: Psalms 46:11
In a world that would have one go deaf for all the noise pollution that bombards us on a daily basis, it is important to recall the words from the first Book of Kings wherein the prophet, Elijah, heard God's voice in the small silent sound. (1 Kings 19:12). God comes to us in silence. In a healthy response to the vocational call for holiness, cultivating a routine of finding silence is a good place to start.
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Cardinal Mercier was a Belgian Catholic Church leader during World War I, maintaining a staunch resistance to the German Occupation. In 1917, he told his priests not to tell their flocks to love if they, the same priests, could not explain the theology that justifies love. Read on to learn about his simple but very powerful lesson.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Scriptures: Matthew 5:48
Perfectionism is an obstacle to holiness. Not exactly the goal articulated in Matthew 5:48, perfectionism clouds the understanding of the true meaning of Jesus' statement, "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." The key is to understand what Jesus meant when he used the word "perfect" to describe our Heavenly Father.
Monday, March 25, 2024
Scriptures: Matthew 5:48
Approaching prayer life can be a daunting task. Start simple. God will take care of the rest.
Saturday, March 2, 2024
Scriptures: Matthew 5:48
Do you struggle to achieve consistency in your prayer life? Are you interested in some practical tips to make your prayer life a reliable habit? We have some thoughts to share, and a link to a great resource provided by Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).