7th Sun. Ord. A cycle. Feb 20, Lectionary # 80

Scripture: Lectionary # 70: Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18. Psalm 103:
1-2.3-4.8.10.12-13. I Cor. 3:16-23. Matthew 5:38-48.

Chapters 17-26 are the code of holiness in the book of Leviticus. The word
for holiness begins this chapter which is called "K'doshim" and the
selection fits perfectly this part of Jesus' sermon on the mount where we
are being called to be holy even as the Heavenly Father is holy! Both the
Sermon and the Code of Holiness are not impossible ideals; they deal with
the everyday call to observe the commandments and rituals which relate us
to God and show us that we must love one another.

The excellent Jewish Study Bible states that verses 2 and verse 37 are
similar to an inclusion and these verses provide the key to the meaning of
this chapter of Leviticus. The theme is "You shall be holy, for I, the
Lord, am holy." Verse 37: "You shall faithfully observe all my laws and
all my rules: I am the Lord."

"What is holiness? To be holy is to rise to partake in some measure of the
special qualities of God, the source of holiness. Holiness is the highest
level of human behavior, human beings at their most Godlike.Hirsch defines
holiness as occuring "when a morally free human being has complete dominion
over one's ernergies and inclinations and the temptations associated with
them and places them at the service of God's will." For Buber, holiness is
found not in rising above the level of one's neighbors but in
relationships, in human beings recognizing the latent divinity of other
people, even as God recognizes the latent divinity in each of us. God can
make things holy is in the case of Shabbat (Gen.2:3). As human beings, we
can be Godlike by exercising our power to sanctify moments and objects in
our lives." (Etz Hayim, p.693).

Jesus in the conclusion to chapter five of Matthew is extending these laws
of holiness to forgiving even our enemies. God is the Supreme Forgiver as
we learn from the Psalm, "The Lord is kind and merciful". Mattew 5:48 is a
divine-human interpretation of Leviticus 19. We are told, "In a word, you
must be perfected as your heavenly Father is perfect." Roland Faley,
T.O.R. tells us, "The text has no conditional clauses; rather it points to
the normative way in which Christians are to live." The words of the
Sermon on the Mount are neither an interim ethic nor an impossible ideal.

Paul shows us that this call to holiness is meant for both the entire
community of Christians as well as the individuals within the community.
We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Just as Mary was overshadowed by the
Holy Spirit and brought forth the Christ who is holy, so we are to be
formed into the likeness of Christ. Paul assumes the role of forming us as
his little ones into Christ, of course, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In Christ's likeness we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit and therefore are
also holy to the Lord our Creator. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are
involved in our call to holiness. And we can only attain such perfection
through their action within us as temples. Spiritual perfection is only
possible through being conformed to the Son of God. Amen.