'When people say that it is impossible to attain
perfection, to be once and for all free from the passions, or to
participate fully in the Holy Spirit, we should cite Holy Scripture
against them, showing them that they are ignorant and speak falsely and
dangerously. For the Lord said: "Become perfect, as your heavenly Father
is perfect." (Matt. 5:48), perfection denoting total purity; and: "I
desire these men to be with Me wherever I am, so that they may see My
glory." (John 17:24) He also said: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but
My words will not pass away." (Matt. 24:35) And St. Paul is saying the
same as Christ when he writes: ". . . so that we may present every man
perfect in Christ." (Col. 1:28) and: ". . . until we all attain to the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect
man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph.
4:13) Thus by aspiring to perfection two of the best things come about,
provided we struggle diligently and unceasingly: we seek to attain this
perfect measure and growth; and we are not conquered by vanity, but look
upon ourselves as petty and mean because we have not yet reached our
goal.
Those who deny the possibility of perfection inflict the greatest damage on the soul in three ways. First, they manifestly disbelieve the inspired Scriptures. Then, because they do not make the greatest and fullest goal of Christianity their own, and so do not aspire to attain it, they can have no longing and diligence, no hunger and thirst for righteousness; (cf. Matt. 5:6) on the contrary, content with outward show and behavior and with minor accomplishments of this kind, they abandon that blessed expectation together with the pursuit of perfection and of the total purification of the passions. Third, thinking they have reached the goal when they have acquired a few virtues, and not pressing on to the true goal, not only are they incapable of having any humility, poverty and contrition of heart but, justifying themselves on the grounds that they have already arrived, they make no efforts to progress and grow day by day.
People who think it is impossible to attain through the Spirit the "new creation" of the pure heart (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) are rightly and explicitly likened by the apostle to those who, because of their unbelief, were found unworthy of entering the promised land and whose bodies on that account "were left lying in the desert." (Heb. 3:17)'
Those who deny the possibility of perfection inflict the greatest damage on the soul in three ways. First, they manifestly disbelieve the inspired Scriptures. Then, because they do not make the greatest and fullest goal of Christianity their own, and so do not aspire to attain it, they can have no longing and diligence, no hunger and thirst for righteousness; (cf. Matt. 5:6) on the contrary, content with outward show and behavior and with minor accomplishments of this kind, they abandon that blessed expectation together with the pursuit of perfection and of the total purification of the passions. Third, thinking they have reached the goal when they have acquired a few virtues, and not pressing on to the true goal, not only are they incapable of having any humility, poverty and contrition of heart but, justifying themselves on the grounds that they have already arrived, they make no efforts to progress and grow day by day.
People who think it is impossible to attain through the Spirit the "new creation" of the pure heart (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17) are rightly and explicitly likened by the apostle to those who, because of their unbelief, were found unworthy of entering the promised land and whose bodies on that account "were left lying in the desert." (Heb. 3:17)'
