Teens, Adults and the Idea Of Perfection

1. Culture, peers and society have different ideas of 'good' than God. Pressure to meet the ideal of earthly 'perfection' -- sports, academics, physical appearance, career, possessions, etc.

• Are we, as adults, driven to meet societal definition of 'perfection'?
• Do our children see this and attempt to imitate us?
• Are we asking something of our children that we are not capable of ourselves?
• Do we feel like we are constantly playing 'defense' against the societal definition of 'perfection'?

2. "Friday Night Lights"

• Coach Gary Gaines: "Being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning. It's about you and your relationship with yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything you could -- there wasn't one more thing that your could've done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentlemen, you're perfect."

3. Mother Teresa: "God does not require that we be successful; only that we be faithful.

4. We are called 'Human BEINGS' not 'Human DOINGS' for a reason.

5. We ground our 'being' in Love. It puts the quest for perfection into a new context.

• Christianity is the story not of Man seeking God, but of God seeking Man out of His love for us.

6. We begin to approach the issue of perfection by reclaiming the word and bringing it into the context of Love.

• Matthew 5:43-48 ("... so be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.")

Book Suggestions:

• God is Love (Deus Caritas Est), Pope Benedict XVI; Ignatius Press 2006
• Brave New Family. Gilbert Keith Chesterton; Ignatius Press 1990