Today’s readings for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary time Year A, give us three very confronting directives. In Reading 1 from Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18, God tells Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God am holy.” Then in 1 Corinthians 3:16 -23, St Paul tells the Christians in Corinth and us not to deceive ourselves about our worldly wisdom because ultimately it is worthless. St Paul admonishes us not to boast about ourselves because in the hierarchy of the Kingdom “there is one God from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and though whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:6). Finally in today’s Gospel, Matthew 5:38-48, Jesus tells his disciples and us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” These are our challenges: holiness, humility and perfection.
Both Moses and Jesus provide some very specific directions on how we can achieve holiness and perfection. Leviticus 19 provides a fairly extensive code of conduct. However, there is a big difference between what Moses said and what Jesus meant. Leviticus is directed to the whole Israelite community. The code of conduct is about how Israelites are supposed to treat other Israelites. There are two verses, 33-34, that give advice on how to treat aliens (everyone else in the world). Jesus also gives us a code of conduct, the Sermon on the Mount that includes the Beatitudes and the verses in Matthew 5 that we hear today. Jesus gives us a broader perspective. Not only are we to treat our family and friends kindly, Jesus tells us we must love our enemies and pray for the people who hurt us. We must turn the other cheek, give away the coat off our back and go that extra mile for anyone and everyone.
What does this mean in practical terms? We need to understand what Jesus meant by love. When Jesus says love your enemy, he does not mean we are to fall in love with them or have warm fuzzy feelings for them. He means we are to wish/pray for their well-being. We are supposed to respond to them with kindness, compassion and goodwill. So, when that person recklessly cuts in front of you on the expressway, rather than get angry or curse them, say a little prayer that they make it to their destination safely. If someone spreads malicious gossip about you, pray that they may become caring people. And don’t forget to pray that God will help you to become the loving, caring, compassionate person you want to become because you want to be part of God’s Kingdom. Who knows, with prayer and practice we may all become the holy, humble and perfect people Jesus expects us to be. And striving to become holy, humble and perfect people can be our perfect Lenten exercise over the next six weeks.
God our Father,
in your Son Jesus Christ
you have shown us your tenderness
and accepted us, sinful people,
as your sons and daughters.
Share your heart with us,
help us be merciful and understanding people,
that we may learn from the way you have treated us
to accept everyone without conditions,
to forgive and forget all hurts,
so that we become more like you.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
