10 March 2014 - set apart, together

10 March 2014 - set apart, together

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

Holiness is necessary.  It isn't an optional extra, because "without holiness no one will see the Lord" (cf. Heb. 12:14).  To be holy is to be uncontaminated by darkness.  It is to be light, for "what fellowship has light with darkness" (cf. 2 Cor 6:14)?  What fellowship can it have?  In the presence of light darkness is transformed. 

Holiness is being set apart, unstained by the world (cf. Jam 1:27).  But the thing about the holiness of God is that it doesn't keep him away from us.  He enters into relationship with us even though he is completely other from us.  Even though we are admixture of light and darkness he still draws near with his light to transform our darkness.  He is not stained by our sinfulness.  Instead he enables us to be transformed (this is why Jesus is able to dine with sinners, to touch lepers, and to raise the dead).

We are called to be holy, not just because he his holy, but as he is holy, to the very degree.  We are called to be perfect as he is perfect (cf. Mat. 5:48).  And, praise God, what he commands he also empowers.

He has prepared a kingdom for us "from the foundation of the world."  But to inherit it, to see God, we must be made holy.  We must be transformed to love as he loves.  We must have compassion for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.  And when there is darkness that resists this love we need the light from our heavenly Father to change us from within.

His words are true.  They are not meant to be burdensome.  Indeed they are "perfect, refreshing the soul."  Do they refresh us?  They are Spirit and life.  This means that when we don't live them we have less life.   His command "is clear, enlightening the eye" so that we have the holiness necessary to see him face to face in glory.  Before his command enlightens our eye to see him face to face it first enlightens us (casting out our inner darkness) to see him in the poor and needy.

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Do we see him in these faces?  Do we see him in the Eucharist?  His command enlightens our eyes.  His presence casts out our darkness.  He moves our hearts to awe in his presence and teaches us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

It is all contained in one statement: "I am the LORD."  All else follows as corollaries.  Let us be still and hear him speak this word to us.