February 19 — Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
LV 19: 1-2, 17-18; PS 103: 1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 COR 3: 16-23; MT 5: 38-48
The Book of Leviticus from which our First Reading comes is the third book in the Old Testament. Its name in part comes from the Levites, who were the tribe to which Aaron belonged. Historically Aaron is considered to be the one from whom priests are descended. However, the Bible offers instructions to all of us, not just to priests. In today’s reading from Leviticus, God says to Moses that he should teach the people this: “Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.”
There is no way, of course, that we can be as holy as God is. God is divine, not human, and thus His Holiness is above and way beyond our capabilities. What God is saying to us though is that we do need to strive for holiness. We often speak of our call to holiness and how we can try to achieve that. One way is to embrace stewardship and all it entails as a way of life.
Will that make us holy like the Lord? No, but it does mean that we need to comprehend that it is God and God’s wisdom we must embrace and follow. Holiness for us means we need to attempt to separate ourselves from those things and thoughts and ideas which can be viewed as not holy in the Eyes of God. Yes, it is impossible for us, but yet that is what we must try to do.
