Sunday

St. Augustine once preached, "If any one will piously and soberly consider the sermon which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke on the mount, as we read it in the Gospel according to Matthew, I think that he will find in it, so far as regards the highest morals, a perfect standard of the Christian life..."

At their heart is affirmation. The beatitudes of course, but also his belief that good people should go and be good people out in the world.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."

And he raises the bar further: "Be perfect, as your Father is perfect." Perfect is not a state of being - nor is it a state of self-reproach; but a positive response to imperfection. It isn't trying to find fault with who you have been, but trying with all your might to become the best person you will be.