Leviticus 19:1-2; 17-18. The Lord said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason with your neighbor, lest you bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord." EXPLANATION: This book gets its name from its contents, which for the greater part deal with matters and laws concerning the worship of God which was conducted by the tribe of Levi; hence the book of "Leviticus." it is the third book in the Old Testament bible, and although it has many very ancient rules and elements which go back to the time of Moses, it was given its final present form after the Babylonian exile (around 500 B.C.). It deals, as we said, with cultic and ceremonial rites and regulations. Chapters 17-26, from which today's reading is taken, form a body of laws commonly called the Law of Holiness. As well as cultic laws, these chapters contain ethical and civic precepts which show the lofty ideals and morals which inspired the sacred author of this section. Some of these moral and religious ideals will be apparent in the four verses read today. You shall . . . holy: The Lord Yahweh told Moses to give this command to all the people of Israel. They were chosen by God and formed into a special people or nation for no other reason except that through them, and from them would come one day the one who would make all men "holy," that is, adopted sons of God. In the meantime they were to keep the knowledge of the true God alive on earth and make themselves as worthy as possible for this greatest of honors, in which they would (with all men) partake when the Incarnation took place.
for I . . . holy: All the nations and peoples of the time had their local and national gods, but they were neither holy nor could they encourage holiness for they were gods made into man's likeness while Yahweh the true God was holiness itself; his people knew that he had created them in his own likeness not vice-versa, and they should therefore strive to imitate his holiness and goodness.
not hate . . . head: One of the principal ways of proving their holiness is now put before them. Knowing man's weak nature, and knowing that any man can offend his neighbor, God tells his Chosen People that they must not let any such offense sink into their hearts.
reason . . . neighbor: Instead, they must try to make the offending neighbor see and admit his fault and thus bring him back to true brotherly friendship once more.
bear . . . him: If they refuse to do this, and continue to bear enmity against the offending brother, they themselves become guilty of as grievous a sin.
not take vengeance: The natural inclination of mere human nature is to "get one's own back," to repay the offender in his own coin. This the spiritual man, the man who knows and adores the true God, whose nature is holiness, must not do.
bear any grudge: They must "forgive and forget." Taking vengeance by external acts is wrong, but so is internal hatred or refusal to forgive an offending brother.
your own people: As Yahweh had set them as a "nation apart," a people who were surrounded on all sides by pagan neighbors with whom any contact would endanger the purity of their true religion, the rules of conduct, the laws of charity, he lays down for them apply only to their fellow Israelites. The circumstances of the time and the attraction of the false religions which catered for human weaknesses made this separation necessary.
love your . . . yourself: This law is valid for all time and for all mankind without distinction, but the most the Israelites could be expected to do in those days was to put it into practice among their own people. But note the injunction that should an alien or stranger (a non-Israelite) come to live among them, they were to treat him as one of themselves (19: 33). The law of brotherly love therefore was universal once the circumstances made its application possible.
neighbor . . . yourself: Do to your neighbor what you would like and want your neighbor to do to you, is the yard-stick by which charity is measured.
I am the Lord: Hence these commands. It is not Moses or any human authority who is imposing the obligation of leading a holy life, as shown especially in brotherly love, but God himself, who has the supreme and absolute right to give such orders. APPLICATION: "You shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy." This command given by God to the Israelites seems at first sight impossible of fulfillment for weak, human nature. God is holiness itself, he is holy by his nature, which is divine, while man, even the best of men, seems inclined to unholiness or evil by his very nature. But God did not command the Israelites to be as holy as he is---that would be an impossibility. What he does give them is the reason why they should be as holy as men can be. He is the God of holiness, the God of all perfection, they are his chosen ones. They should therefore strive to achieve such human perfection as would make them worthy of the holy state he has planned for them, namely, adopted sonship. This same command holds for all men still. We Christians should find it much easier to fulfill, since the Incarnation, which was only very vaguely revealed to the Israelites, has taken place in our history---"before our eyes" as it were. Through the Incarnation, we know God's real purpose for us men. He has made us his adopted sons, he has given us the example of Christ, his divine Son in true human nature, who as man lived a life of perfect holiness, perfect obedience to his heavenly Father. With such an example, and with the clear understanding of what the end and purpose of our journey through life is, we should not find it so hard to strive to make ourselves worthy of the honor and the great future God has in store for us. We are God's adopted sons. There is an eternity of happiness awaiting us when we end our sojourn here below The Christian who is convinced of this truth, as every sincere Christian is, will not look on the command to be holy so much as a command, as a necessary preparation for what is to come, a preparation which he gladly undertakes. The bride-to-be who is told by her mother to prepare herself fittingly for her wedding-day would hardly call this a command. We are destined to be brides of Christ for all eternity. We are convinced of this, that is why we are Christians. Now then could we look on the necessary preparations for our wedding-day, the day of our judgment, as something onerous, something we dislike? We have seen God's love for us. The Incarnation shows a love which surpasses the wildest hopes or imagination of men. Would we be so mean and so ungrateful as to refuse the puny bit of human love which he asks of us in return? We know for certain what future God has planned for us and earned for us through the God-man Christ---an eternity of happiness with God in heaven. Who would be so foolish, so forgetful of his own best interest, as to let the trifling, fleeting, unsatisfying things of this earth prevent him from reaching such a happy, unending future? God's call to us to be holy is really not a command but the kind and loving advice of an infinitely loving Father.
SECOND READING: 1 Cor. 3:16-23. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." So let no one boast of men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's. EXPLANATION: St. Paul continues to instruct and correct his Corinthian converts. One of the abuses he had to correct was the divisions that were arising among them. These he had already referred to (1:10-13; see Third Sunday of the Year) and returns to them briefly in today's reading. The Christians of Corinth do not belong to the Apostles or preachers who taught them, but to God through Christ. They are, each one of them, nothing less than the temple of God, for the Holy Spirit dwells in them. They must be united therefore, or they cannot be holy, worthy of the divine indwelling. In Christianity they have true wisdom (see last Sunday above), divine wisdom, not the wisdom of this world, which is folly in the eyes of God.
You . . . temple: Both the pagan and the Jewish converts knew what a temple was---the dwelling-place of a God or gods. As Christians they knew, they had been taught, that with baptism the Holy Spirit had come to dwell within them. His presence was proved to them by his many gifts. Should any of them destroy this temple of God, that is, expel the Holy Spirit by sin, then they were destroying themselves, excluding themselves from God. It is not God really who destroys them, but they themselves. God's temple is holy: As pagans and Jews they recognized this. Now that they are the temples of God they must be holy.
Let . . . himself: Let no one be so foolish as to think that the wisdom of the worldly-wise is better than the divine revelation and knowledge which he has received through the Christian faith. Christianity may seem folly to the worldly pagans, but it is a worthwhile folly.
Wisdom . . . God: The wisest man this world ever knew, if his wisdom and learning began and ended with the things of this world, was nothing but a fool in the sight of God. His wisdom was not only useless but if it prevented him from coming to know God and his own real purpose in life, it was fatal.
It is written: To prove his point Paul quotes rather freely from the Old Testament (Job 5:13 and Ps. 94:11).
Let . . . men: Paul refers now to the divisions mentioned above. It was not Paul or Apollos or Cephas who gave them the divine wisdom of the Christian faith---it was a free gift of God.
You are Christ's: Through that Christian faith they belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. Christ was the Son of God in human nature; therefore, they owe everything to God, and not to any human agent or human wisdom. They belong to God. APPLICATION: Today these words of St. Paul call on each one of us to stop and think of the divine gift God gave us when he made us Christians. We know where we come from, we know where we are going. God created us---be it through evolution or directly, it matters not---and it is to God that we owe the fact that we are here and now on this planet. But great though the gift of earthly life is, it would be, without the hope of a future life, a source of unhappiness for any thinking man. If after all my striving, all my endeavors, all my attempts to collect all the pleasures, wealth and happiness that this life can give, I were convinced that I would end forever in a hole in the ground, in a few years' time, what a cloud of unhappiness would hang over even my happiest day! But thanks to the divine gift of faith, I know that my few years on this earth are only a period given me to prepare for my future. I know that my earthly death is not the end but the beginning of my real life---a life that will never again end. What a consoling, what an uplifting thought this is, not only in my hours of suffering or trouble but in my moments of greatest happiness. I can see in them a foretaste of what is to come, as I can and should see in my sufferings the divine medicine which will one day bring me back to eternal health. We have the true wisdom; we know the real truths. Let the world-wise wear out their strength collecting this world's empty packages; let the neo-pagans keep on burying God and straining all their nerves to build a heaven on earth; we know the true value of this world's goods; we know where the true, lasting heaven is, and please God it is there we are going. But to get there we must never forget that we are God's temple, as St. Paul tells us today. We must keep that temple pure and holy. We belong to God; we are his adopted sons. Let us strive every day of our lives to be worthy of this gratuitous divine honor. We could forfeit and lose this privilege---others have done so before us. God forbid that any of us should find himself among their number when he is called from this life.
GOSPEL: Matt. 5:38-48. Jesus said to his disciples, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him your cloak at well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
For a short homily on these readingsClick here EXPLANATION: Continuing his Sermon on the Mount (according to Matthew) Jesus tells his followers that the Christian law demands much more of them than did the Mosaic law, especially as interpreted by the Pharisees.
You have . . . said: His hearers were all Jews who knew the Old Testament.
An eye . . . eye: This "lex talionis" as it is called, is given in Leviticus 19-20. It sounds very harsh to us today, and we may wonder how God could permit it. But it was rather a restriction on the practices of a primitive society, where there was no central authority or courts of law and where each one took the law into his own hands. So this "lex talionis' prevented men from vindictiveness---the injured could inflict only an injury equal to the one suffered.
But I say to you: Our Lord is now abrogating any permission for revenge allowed by the Mosaic law.
Do not resist . . . evil: A Christian must forgive those who injure him and not retaliate even in the restricted form of the lex talionis. This would seem to exclude one's right to self-defense, except possibly in the case of a threat to one's own life. But even in this case only such defense is permitted as would save one's life, not going as far as taking the unjust aggressor's life. The example Christ gives is a bodily injury, not an attempt on one's life. Furthermore, our Lord is teaching the perfection of Christianity here, as the following examples show.
If one strikes . . . cheek: When one who could retaliate refuses to do so and submits instead to further injury, his example of perfect Christian forbearance will move his unjust aggressor to shame and repentance. In this way the true Christian will have turned an enemy into a brother.
coat . . . as well: Legal persecution. A poor man who cannot pay some debt and has his coat or ordinary daily dress confiscated, should not only yield it up willingly but should offer his cloak (the outer garment which protected him from rain and cold by day and was his covering at night) as well. Only a very hard-hearted creditor would fail to be moved by such a gesture, but the point of the counsel is to give an example of perfect resignation and detachment from any animosity.
mile . . . miles: A case of forced labor or service. Unjust though this enforced labor may be, do not resent it but rather do more than asked.
him who begs: Give alms and loans to those who need them.
love neighbor . . . enemy: The "hate your enemy" was not commanded in the old law, nor is it commanded here. The "hate your enemy" is negative parallelism of "love your neighbor"; the meaning is: "you need not love your enemy."
But I say . . . you: He tells those who would follow him that they must not only love their neighbor but also their enemies.
pray . . . you: Pray for their conversion. He gave an example of this when dying on the cross.
sons of heaven: They will thus prove themselves true Christians, the true adopted sons of God which Christ has come to make of them.
sun . . . rain: God, when sending his gifts, does not give them to the good only.
love . . . you: This is only a natural inclination, it is not the virtue of charity. Even sinners and Gentiles who never heard of God do this.
perfect . . . perfect: True Christians must strive to imitate their infinitely loving, infinitely merciful and forgiving Father. They will fall very, very short of reaching any such perfection, but all God and Christ expect of them is that they will go as far as they can in keeping the Christian mode of life. APPLICATION: The lesson we have to learn from today's gospel hardly needs any emphasizing. We must, if we are truly Christian, forgive those who offend or injure us. We must love all men, whether they be friends or enemies. G. K. Chesterton says : "We are commanded to love our neighbors and our enemies; they are generally the same people." This is very true for all of us. It is very easy for me to love (in a theoretical way) all Japanese, Chinese, Russians and most Europeans---they never come in contact with me and never tread on my corns. But it is my neighbors, those among whom I live and work, who are liable to injure me and thus become my enemies. Charity begins at home, because it is here that it can and should be learned and practiced. It is first and foremost necessary for Christian peace in the home. Husband and wife must learn to understand and tolerate each other's imperfections and faults. If one offends in what the other would regard as something serious, the offended one should not demand an apology but should show forgiveness before the other has humbly to apologize. No two persons in the world, not even identical twins, can agree on all things, so it is vain and unrealistic to expect even one's married partner to agree with one in all points. Christian charity alone can cover the multitude of faults of both partners. If there is peace and harmony between husband and wife, as there will be if both are truly charitable, the children will learn too to be understanding and forgiving. Such a home will be a truly happy home even if it has little of the world's riches. Our charity must spread from the home to our neighbors---to all those with whom we have contact. It is easy to get on with most people, but in every neighborhood and in every village or town there will always be those who are difficult. There will be the dishonest, the tale-bearers, the quarrelsome, the critic of everyone and everything. It is when we have dealings with such people that all our Christian charity is necessary. Most likely we will never be able to change their ways of acting, but charity will enable us to tolerate their faults and will move us to pray for their eternal welfare. Life for many, if not for most people, has many dark, gloomy and despairing moments. The man or woman who is moved by true Christian charity can bring a beam of sunshine, a ray of hope, into the lives of these people. Fr. Faber in a booklet on kindness has a poem which we could all learn and practice with great profit for ourselves and for a neighbor in need of kindness. He says:
"It was but a sunny smile,
And little it cost in the giving,
But it scattered the night like the
morning light
And made the day worth living. It was but a kindly word,
A word that was lightly spoken,
Yet not in vain for it chilled the pain
Of a heart that was nearly broken. It was but a helping hand,
And it seemed of little availing,
But its clasp was warm, it saved from
harm A brother whose strength was failing." Try the sunny smile of true love, the kindly word of Christian encouragement, the helping hand of true charity, and not only will you brighten the darkness and lighten the load of your brother but you will be imitating in your own small way the perfect Father of love who is in heaven.-a221
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