What does it mean to be
holy?
In the Book of Leviticus,
several chapters are devoted to the Holiness Code, a set of rules meant to help
humankind live in the context of God’s holiness. Be
holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy is the message Moses is to convey
to the Israelite community. But what
does it mean to be holy? God explains to
Moses that holiness will be found in their relationship with others in their
community: they must not bear hatred in their hearts for one another, but rather, must
love their neighbor as themselves.
Every interaction should be patterned after God’s mercy and love; every
gesture should bring the identity of God, who is love, to bear on
civilization. The Holiness Code
enumerates the many ways that God is manifested through humankind; as we strive
to live it, we call others to that same relationship, with God and with one another. As in Psalm 108, every time we bless God’s holy name, we are increasing
our awareness of God’s presence, claiming that presence, that love, as
essential to our lives, bringing that love to bear upon our relationship with
God and with all. We are, in other
words, striving for holiness.
Jesus revisits the
Holiness Code in Matthew’s Gospel when he exhorts his listeners to Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is
perfect. To reach for perfection is
to embrace a process, to strive for the holiness of God by manifesting that
holiness in what we live, challenging others to holiness in the process, giving to the one who asks of us, ever
generous in our relationships with others.
This also means we must love – not just our family, not just our
neighbors or our fellow countrymen, but, Jesus tells us, our enemies themselves. There is no holiness in hatred; we must love all as God loves all God’s
children, allowing God’s love for us to dictate our love for other. As Paul tells the Corinthians, we are the temple of God, and that temple is holy for the Spirit of God dwells in us.
God was thus meant to be revealed through us as we work for community,
giving witness to the power of God’s love in our lives.
This is what Paul means
when he tells each to become a fool, so
as to become wise: we are to embrace
that kingdom of inversion in which the only true power is God’s power, the
power of love. If we do so, subjecting
ourselves to all so that God can be present through us, then we will indeed be holy, a revelation of God’s love and
mercy in the world.
This post is based on Fr.
Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
Image source: Wordle
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