The Perfection of Imperfection

Commitments are imperfect, but they sure beat isolation.

I had to leave. Things had been great for the first few months with the Jesuits, but I had seen some flaws and went through a period where I felt like I had to run away.

This took place while I was in the middle of a 30-day silent retreat. I figured it would be silly to leave in the middle of the experience. 

In the meantime, I kept praying. I spent time picturing Jesus Christ in the various Gospel scenes. Christians believe that the omnipotent, omniscient God became one of us. And it’s not as if this God-became-man lived apart from us. Christ spent time with people that others shunned: prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers. Religious leaders criticized him for associating with sinners—and then he went out and did it even more.

Christ’s way was the opposite of my impulse to run away from anything or anyone hinting of imperfection. 

A less-than-perfect institution like the Society of Jesus was exactly where an imperfect person like myself needed to be. 

I started to notice how we get closer to perfection through imperfect commitments: