HOMILY FOR THE SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18/ Psalm 103/1Corinthians 3:16-23/ Matthew 5:38-48
AGORSOR Aaron Agbeshie
THEME: Holiness is not an option
To live is to change; to be holy is to have changed often says St. Thomas Aquinas. To be a Christian is a serious matter. We become Christians by virtue of our Baptism which enables us to participate in the threefold mission of Christ as Priest, Prophet and king. By our baptism, we have as it were signed a contract with Jesus to be like him. The readings of today’s Liturgy call on us to be holy. Holiness of life is a daily commitment to be like Jesus.
The word “holy” is a hard word to define. In its original sense it means “to set apart, to be different or unique”. All of these meanings can have some relevance for us as we try to become holy like God. I like to see it as being set apart, different from this world, having different values than this world, allowing that spark of divinity in each of us to shine through. Holiness of life is not a one day affair. It demands of us a daily commitment to Jesus. Unless our righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, we shall not enter the kingdom of heaven is what Jesus is emphasizing in this whole periscope (Matthew 5:1-48).
For Jesus, to whom much is given, much is expected. We cannot settle for mediocrity; we cannot settle for the bearest minimum or the pass mark. All that Jesus is asking of us ordinarily we will not do. But because we are people of the light, he invites us to do it. Values come from God himself. Overtime, human beings decided to make it relative to suit their whims and caprices. Jesus is and has remained the standard measurement for us Christians. So Jesus says “You have heard it was said … but I say to you…” (Matthew 5:38). This is a man who speaks with authority. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Nowhere did the law teach hatred for one’s enemies. Passages like Exodus 23:4-5 indicate just the opposite? Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us and exploit us selfishly. So he says “You have heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). Since Christian love is an act of the will, and not simply an emotion, he has the right to command us to love our enemies. After all, he loved us while we were his enemies (Romans 5:10).
Just as Jesus loved us while we were still his enemies because we are his siblings, we are also invited to love our enemies because they are also children of God. Sometimes, in our prayers we ask God to destroy our enemies. We forget that those enemies are God’s children too.
As Christians, we are called to sacrifice a little above the ordinary. For how different are we from those we claim to be pagans if we fail our responsibility to love. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do same… be perfect, therefore as your heavenly father is perfect” (Matthew 5:46-48).
The command to be holy is not a New Testament idea. It is embedded in the Old Testament. Therefore, if Jesus said that he came to fulfill the Old Testament, he has not said anything new. The First Reading, therefore, reminds us that this holiness of life is a condition sine qua non for a blissful life with God. In fact, righteousness and justice are the foundations of His throne. It is interesting to note that Leviticus reminds us that holiness has a social dimension. It is our day to day healthy relationship with one another. For Leviticus says “You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear grudge against any of your people…” (Leviticus 19:17-18). To be holy does not mean praying and fasting the whole day and not able to live at peace with one another.
St. Paul in the Second Reading reminds us that our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Our holiness must, therefore exude the entire surrounding in which we live. Holiness is not a private matter alone. It has a community dimensions as well. Ordinarily, a temple is a place where people from all walks of life gather to celebrate their oneness in God. It is like a salad bowl containing the entire ingredient for a tasty salad. We are called to be that temple that does take revenge, inflict pain and curse on people; that temple that forgives taking cognizance of the fact that to err is human and to forgive is divine.
Unlike in Hebrew times when God was thought to reside in the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem, since Christ’s death and resurrection, God now resides in us. We are now the temple of God, and as such have been made holy. We are set apart, no longer of this world and we need to abandon the wisdom of this world, for the wisdom of God – even if it makes us look foolish to this world. And it will; Paul says: “You should become fools so that you may become wise” (1Corinthians 3:18-19).
In sum, holiness is not about doing the extraordinary things in this life but the ordinary namely love of enemies, love of neighbor, avoidance of revenge and the like. Today, our prayer should be “Remember Lord, though frail we be, by your own kind hand were we made. And help us, lest our frailty cause your great name to be betrayed.”