Questions for Reflection for February 19, 2023 HD

Reflection on Reading 1, Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 1. This is the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary time. The Last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, when we enter into the Great Lent. Notice, this will be the last time Liturgically, that we sing, chant or say the Alleluia, as we move into a protracted time of penance, fasting, prayer and preparation, following Jesus into the desert. Our theme throughout all of the readings appointed for this Holy Mass is the call to Holiness, what is called in theological language "perfection" Our first reading, from the Book of Leviticus in the Hebrew Scriptures, what Christians call the Old Testament, is an excerpt, a "pericope" from the 19th chapter of this Book. It sets forth the Law that Gods chosen people were to follow to progress in holiness. We only have the first two verses, followed by verses 17 and 18. All in between the people of God are told how to live their lives with one another in a way that not only honors the Lord, but demonstrates who He is to the other Nations. The verses in between speak to the relationships within the family, honoring our mother and father, honoring and keeping the Sabbath, our relationship as stewards of the earth, our speech, our relationship with our neighbor... All of this is what being Holy is all about. And, we are all called to holiness. Reflection on Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13 2. The Psalmist, in our Response, points us to the Lord. Only by constantly praising Him, and praying to Him, can we begin to live His Law. Reflection on Reading 2, First Corinthians 3:16-23 3. In our Second Reading, an excerpt from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we are reminded of a foundational truth, that we are temples of God because the Holy Spirit dwells within us. So how we treat our bodies, how we behave, all matters immensely. The separation between faith and real life, the separation, even between Body and Soul, is not be present in our lives as Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. How is this possible? Only by the grace of God, given to us through the saving Life, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ. We need a Savior, and God has given one to us. In order to receive all that He Has to give us, through His Word, in prayer, and through the Sacraments of the Church, we must recognize that we do not have the wisdom needed to live up to the Law because of sin. That we need to acknowledge our weakness and foolishness, empty ourselves, cooperate with grace and ask for the continued presence of and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Reflection on Gospel, Matthew 5:38-48 Our Gospel makes this all so very clear. The Call to Holiness is actually ramped up by Jesus. This excerpt is from Chapter Five of the Gospel of St Matthew, what is called the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, the New Lawgiver, speaks from a Mountain and calls us to the Law of Love, the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. And, he is on His Way to Jerusalem to die for us, making it possible for us to live this Law of perfect love. The last line of our Gospel text must be understood properly to be grasped: "You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." This admonition from Jesus is repeated in other Gospel accounts and developed in the New Testament Epistles. Our question should not be "is it possible?". Rather, it should be "HOW is it possible?" How do we respond? Perhaps our problem with both understanding and responding is that we confuse the meaning of the word, "perfect". Filtering this word through our linguistic limitations, we may come up with a false translation and, as a result, not even attempt to respond to the admonition. However, Jesus has saved us from sin and death - and saved us for a new way of living. We can tend to focus on what we are saved from and forget what we are saved for. We do not yet comprehend who we are to become in Him. In Greek, the word translated perfect is telios. It refers to something being completed, brought to its full purpose, potential and intended end and vocation. For example, in the world of objects, a hammer is telios or perfect when it is hammering a nail. In the world of subjects, things are telios or perfect when they are fulfilling their nature. In our Western minds, we can limit this word "perfect" and thereby fail to grasp its promise and potential. We think of it mathematically rather than relationally. We fail to understand it is a work in process. The God who is Love fashioned us in His Image. We are made to love as He loves. In Jesus Christ, we are now also being capacitated - to use a term frequently used by the early father and Bishop Ireneaus of Lyons - made capable - by the grace of His Redemption - of actually loving with God's love. "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 Jn 4:16). More on Daily Readings: https://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_...