Be holy is the simple message of today's readings.

As children most of us believed in perfection as an attainable goal. Maybe not our own particular perfection (I was never going to get an A in science!), but the finish line was clearly marked out and someone was going to cross it. We were literally schooled into the quest for perfection: defined as an A+, or 100 percent answered correctly, or the coveted 4.0 at the end of the term.

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.

A friend relates that she started graduate school without any idea how she was going to pay for it. There was a little money in savings and she guessed that would get her started.

A truck driver, in a hurry, pulled into a parking spot without much care, jumped out of his car, and ran into a store. A moment later another driver came out of the store, and when she got to her car, she saw that she couldn't open the driver door because the truck had parked too close to her car

We ask God to make us temples of the Holy Spirit.

Teach us to give and not to count the cost.