The Password to Holiness is love!: 7th Sunday in ordinary Time
Sermon by Emmanuel Suntheni – Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time – Year A
Sermon And Christian Act In The Word
Theme: Be Perfect! “We are called to Holiness” The password to Holiness is love!
Point of Reflection: Do I make decisions considering which course of action would best reflect God’s holiness in my life and to the world? In what measure I am ready and willing to strive for perfection as outlined in today’s Gospel? Do I consider Jesus teaching on the love of enemies a utopian demand?
Today’s liturgy shows that holiness and perfection are within human reach. In the Old Testament holiness meant imitation of God, and being set apart from the rest of the world by living according to the Torah. For Jesus, perfection means imitating God and transforming the human world by non-retaliation and all-inclusive love, putting an end to violence and fostering the well-being of all human beings. By doing this they “become perfect” like their God, who, according to the Psalmist, is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love”.
First Reading: Leviticus 19:1–2, 17–18
Psalm: Psalm 103:1–4, 8, 10, 12–13
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16–23
Gospel: Matthew 5:38–48
Sermon (Reflection): In the Scripture, the word used most often to describe God is the word “holy”. Holiness expresses God’s nature; who God is, and what God does. But what does holiness mean? On the one hand, it indicates that God is radically different from the rest of creation. It implies being “set apart”, or being different from all else that exists, including human beings. On the other hand, it describes God’s goodness manifested to the Israelites. They understood that God’s holiness meant that the people who belong to him must also resemble their Lord; they must share in God’s holiness and be holy: As Christians, are we holy? Are we even trying to be holy? Or every day are we becoming unholy?
Right from the first reading, we encounter the word holy, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” But how can a human being, or a human community, be holy? The way to holiness for the Israelites is outlined in the “Torah” or “the Law” contained in the first five books of the Bible, called in Greek “the Pentateuch”. For the Israelites, the Torah was a guide and instruction on what it means to be holy. It outlined the entire way of life, from guidelines on what to eat, to instructions on how to worship. A major part of Leviticus from which today’s reading comes, is called the “Holiness Code” (chapters 17–26), precisely because it focuses on that aspect of the Israelite identity. As God’s holy people, the Israelites were literally “set apart” from all other people on earth by the way they lived. Another aspect of their holiness which resembles God’s own holiness was the way they were to relate to one another.
According to the second part of the reading, holiness excludes any kind of hatred or conceited vengeance. Speaking positively, Israelites must resemble their God in the profound concern they show for others. This concern is described by one profound word, “love”. We have to note that, in the Torah, these demands extended only to fellow members of the Israelite community. What we need in our life as Christians is only love and following commandments, if we have love and we follow the commandments, then, we become holy.
St Paul, writing to the Corinthians in the second reading, compares their community to a temple. The word that Paul actually uses is “sanctuary”. In the Jerusalem Temple, the sanctuary was the inner part of the Temple, also called the “holy of holies”, where God’s presence was said to dwell. Using this beautiful image, the apostle compares the community to God’s dwelling place. Today’s passage concludes the argument with a very powerful warning. Since the community is God’s sanctuary, it is also filled with God’s presence.
Divisions which destroy the community’s unity amount to undermining God’s sanctuary and obscuring God’s presence in it. The reasons for divisions – arguments about who is foolish and who is wise, and loyalties to various baptisers such as Paul, Apollos, or Cephas – are nothing more than petty and silly squabbles. These divisive distinctions have no meaning because through baptism Corinthians became members of one community; they became God’s sanctuary filled with God’s presence and, therefore, holy. Its members belong to Christ, and, through Christ, to God. Consequently, the Christian community embodies God’s presence in the world, the presence of which must not be undermined in any way.
Today too as Christians, we are fighting, you are from this country not ours, you are from this tribe not ours! As Christians, let us be reminded that we are one in Christ by baptism and we to love each other, and by doing so, we become holy.
The Gospel reading of today examines two distinctive issues. First, there is the issue of violence and abuse. In Jesus’ day the response to these was outlined in the so-called lextalionis, thus, the principle was expressed through the phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”. It was a sound law that prevented the escalation of violence through the demand for direct correspondence between crime and punishment. Jesus does not deny the validity of such justice. However, using three captivating examples, he admonishes his disciples to go further: they are to put an end to violence and abuse. The three examples used by Jesus – turning the other cheek, resigning one’s rights in court and going further than required – all illustrate one single attitude that can prevent violence from continuation and propagation: non-retaliation.
For Jesus, replacing lextalionis with the non-retaliation principle and with doing more than fairness requires is necessary to change society.
Justice based on punishments does not end violence, it only prevents it from escalation at best, and merely propagates it at worst. The only effective way to end violence and abuse is non-retaliation and forgiveness.
Second, Jesus focuses on the scope and extent of Christian love. In his time, the demand for neighbourly love was limited to fellow members of the Israelite community. It seems, that in the popular understanding of the day, it was also combined with the command of hating one’s enemy. However, this command is not found in the Torah itself. Jesus abolishes and changes these limits. Appealing to God as the supreme example, Jesus teaches that the disciples must extend their love to all, regardless of the response they receive, or the ethnic identity of the recipients. This is so because God makes his rain fall, and his light shine, upon all, regardless of how they relate to him, or of their moral standing. This all-inclusive attitude demanded of the disciples sets them apart from all other people, who follow the normal principle of reciprocity in dealing with others. Thus, those who wish to imitate God ought to love those who do not respond in kind, even to the point of responding with love to violence and persecution.
Christian love is not dependent on whether or not it is returned. However, it must be emphasised that Christian love is not a matter of sentimental and fond feelings. The examples that Jesus used demonstrate that Christian love manifests itself through a decision, and the action of seeking and sustaining the well-being of another human being. Revenge and violence are the opposites of love, because they seek to destroy, while love seeks to preserve and sustain. For Jesus, this is a new standard of behaviour for believers, a standard built on the imitation of God’s actions. Those who follow it share in God’s holiness. In Jesus’ words, they become “perfect”.
Christian Act in Word of God “Be holy-the password is love”
Today, the world presents us with such a great variety of options and choices that we are often unable to ground ourselves in one meaningful identity. This Sunday’s liturgy suggests to us that a lifelong commitment to holiness provides us with a sense of identity. Holiness – a life based on the Gospel values and the Christian message – could really set us apart as unique people of God ready to fulfil the purpose of our calling. Everywhere in the world, young people are striving to make a difference in life, in their academic pursuits, family life or marriage, careers and occupations. In Matt 6:31-33 we are encouraged to place our call to fulfil the will of God over and above all else in life – our careers, success, family life, or business. Jesus recommends seeking first the kingdom of God and its righteousness because when we live righteous lives all these things will follow.
Thus, the call to holiness is the core of our Christian identity. Discipleship means walking or following the footsteps of Christ, and Christ walked in holiness and fulfilled every one of the Father’s purposes for him.
This means that we need to seek holiness in all the endeavours of our lives. In our school lives, marriage and family, careers and religious lives we are often very quick to measure our success against the returns we get in the form of high marks, feelings of happiness, affirmation by others, or material gains. Our search for holiness means that we need to measure our success and achievements against the will of God first, the basic question being whether our actions and values correspond to Jesus’ teaching and values. Let us strive for holiness.
Action: From now on I will want to be holy and follow God’s Commandments.
Prayer: Almighty Father, you are love and you are holy. As your adopted children send us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us so that we be holy and follow your commandments. You have sent us into the world to live a holy life and radiate that holiness to the world. Give us strength, wisdom and perseverance that we might persistently seek you and walk in your ways daily. May your Spirit guide us in the ways of righteousness and into your everlasting kingdom, Amen.
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