7TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YR A
Lev. 19:1-2,17-18; Ps 102
1 Cor. 3:16-23; Matt 5:38-48
BE HOLY AND PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
Our first reading for this Sunday ends with an almost impossible call upon us to be holy as God. Jesus repeats this in the gospel in another way when he says be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. (Mtt 5:48)
It is one thing to strive to be holy but another thing all together when the standard is God and his holiness. How is that even possible? How can we be holy as God?
To begin with let us consider what it means to “be holy for I the Lord I am Holy” (Lev. 19:2). The Hebrew word translated as holy is “kodesh” this word means “worthy of respect” or “set apart”. It does not really say anything about sin. It rather calls us to set ourselves apart for God to use us. “Kodesh” means holiness in the sense that God has set us apart from the world for “every good work” (2Tim 3:17b).
The reading associates this kind of holiness with love of neighbour. If we are to be holy as God is holy, then we must love our neighbour in a different way. Our attitude towards others must be different. We must treat our neighbours as God would treat them. That is what it means to be set apart i.e. to be holy. We must choose to be compassionate and respectful towards one another. The first reading ends with an emphasis; “you must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord” (Lev 19:2)
But who is my neighbour?
In Leviticus 19, love of neighbour extends only to family. In fact it says, “take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen…” (Lev. 19:18). For us it will include our friends and all those we are fond of.
Jesus questions this understanding of neighbour. He pointed out that there is nothing exceptional about loving those who love you when unbelievers and sinners do the same. But we must be different because we have been set apart for holiness and for a purpose in this world. Jesus speaks of another neighbour. One who does not belong to our family or group of friends. This neighbour is not the person we don’t like, but one who makes our lives difficult, mistreats us for the tribe we belong to, the colour of our skin or looks down on us in whatever way. This neighbour is bent on making us fail and jeer at our achievements.
Do you have a neighbour now? I do. Do you? I believe we all have people who make us feel less than ourselves. Those who make our blood burn real hot. Jesus calls us to love those we would easily take revenge on and justifiably so. Why? Because we have been set apart for the holiness of God. About these people Jesus says to us “offer no resistance, turn the other cheek, go a mile further…”. He is not asking us to lend ourselves for abuse but to have a better engagement with this neighbour who excludes and persecutes us and also to live in peace. We should act and react in a better way. We must return the favour of love than retaliation and revenge.
Jesus teaches us how to do this in his own life as he hung on the cross. After he was beaten and nailed to the cross, all he said was “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). By this, he gives the example of adhering to his own teachings of praying for those who persecute you (Mtt 5:44)
This is not easy but we must trust Jesus. When we trust him, he gives us courage and the ability to love even those who hate and persecute us. We must choose to live in love believing that love is greater than any act or kind of evil. To live in love is to be like God who out of love causes the rain and sun to come upon the good and the bad.
It is not an easy teaching, but it is possible when we allow divine love to fill us.
Jesus stands by us when we make the effort to forgive and love even our worst enemies.
Our gospel for today ends with the statement “be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect” (Mtt 5:48). Matthew uses the Greek word “teleios” which is translated as perfect. It refers to that which is complete by achieving its goal. For us it means we must become the persons God desires us to be in Christ Jesus. That is, those who are no longer held bound by hatred and unforgiveness but have been freed by God’s love seen and encountered in Jesus. We must be complete in our commitment as christians
It does not mean we live perfectly without fault, but to be committed in being like God in our show of love and mercy. We must demonstrate a complete (teleios) love that expresses itself towards enemies as towards family and friends. Love does not discriminate. If it does, then it is not love. When we are able to do this, we become holy and perfect as the Father.
May the Lord strengthen us.
God bless you.
By Fr. Delight Arnold Carbonu
