Holiness is the key theme for this Sunday’s readings.
What is holiness? It seems that at times, we might have a skewed or unrealistic view of what holiness really is. So, here are couple of thoughts on holiness for you, as we begin this reflection. Pope Benedict said, “Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 31 January 2007). Pope Francis wrote the following in his latest document on the Amazon: “it is essential to show that holiness takes nothing away from our ‘energy, vitality or joy’” (Pope Francis, Querida Amazonia, 80, 2 February 2020). So, holiness is the capacity for conversion, and it also goes hand in hand with a certain joy, a certain energy, dynamis, or vitality.
Our readings, too, spell out what holiness really is. We heard in the Book of Leviticus: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy”. Do not hate anyone of your kin in your heart; you shall correct a neighbour, in charity, if he sins; you will not take vengeance or bear a grudge. This last part brings to mind the words from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, which say, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19, RSV). It is not our place to formulate plans of revenge. Finally, holiness is loving your neighbour as yourself.
The second reading, from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, carries on the theme of holiness. We are God’s temples, because God’s Spirit dwells in us. God’s temple is holy, and so we are holy, as those temples. It should also be spelled out that St. Paul saw “the body of every individual Christian as a temple”; so, all of us, as individuals, are God’s temple. Plus, “the body of every local church is a temple” – in this way, the believers of Saint Hedwig’s parish form a temple; finally, “the body of the universal Church is a temple”, that is, all the believers in the Catholic Church (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Scott Hahn et al., eds., 2010, pg. 289).
Finally, in the Gospel, Jesus is asking us to not be passive when facing aggression or unjust demands: to turn the other cheek – walk two miles instead of one – give to those who ask of us. Moreover, we are asked to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. In this way, we become like our Father in heaven, who is merciful to the just and the unjust; He makes the sun rise on the good, and the evil. Jesus makes an astounding statement here: by doing good to those who wish you evil, you grow in perfection, and in fact, you become more like the One who is all perfect – the heavenly Father.
This Wednesday, we begin the holy season of Lent. It is interesting to note how this past week, the Liturgy of the Word arranged itself in preparation for Lent. First of all, this week we had heard twice about Jesus, at Caesarea Philippi, asking His disciples the question: “Who do people say that I am?” and then “Who do you say that I am?”. This was told to us on Thursday, in the Gospel of Mark, and on Saturday, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle, in the Gospel of Matthew. So, it seems that as we prepare to begin Lent, we are invited to ponder, who do we say that Jesus is? Who do I say that He is? Moreover, the Gospel last Sunday brought us Jesus’ teaching on anger and reconciliation, adultery and divorce, as well as being truthful in speech. This week, we pick up right from the very next verse, this time touching on retaliation and love of enemies. We call this a continuous reading, because parts are not left out. We finish today’s Gospel passage and leave it – only to pick it up again, again from the very next verse, in continuous reading – this time on Ash Wednesday. Divine Providence has asked us to prepare for Lent, even in the way that the scripture readings were arranged in past days.
The readings from this 7th Sunday in Ordinary time speak of holiness: holiness is a willingness to convert and repent; holiness is a certain energy or vitality; holiness means to leave justice to God; finally, holiness means to will the good, even to our enemies. May this upcoming Season of Lent help us to grow in holiness. May our Lady, who was all Holy and all Good, help us in this great task, with the prayers of St. Joseph.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Feb. 23, 2020)