In the gospel, Jesus confirms our belonging and suggests: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. He speaks this after admonishing us to live in love and forgiveness towards our neighbour”.
Father Cesar Augusto, SJ Vatican News
Called by God to holiness: this is the theme of this Sunday’s liturgy.
The Lord created us to be holy and to be what He is. Every son wants to be like his father if the reference is right and the girl has in her mother a role model to emulate.
Likewise, the Lord rejoices that we are like Him, for indeed we were created in His image and likeness.
Today’s first reading from Leviticus tells us, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
And what is it to be holy? According to the reading, it means not having hatred, warning others against sin, not being vengeful, not holding grudges, and loving your neighbor as yourself.
To be holy means to behave differently from other people who do not know their divine origin. Whoever knows where he comes from, who his family is and is aware of it, behaves nobly because he knows the value of his blood. Not only were we created by God in his image and likeness, but we were washed by the blood of Christ and born again in baptism. We are truly children of the saint.
In the gospel, Jesus confirms our belonging and suggests: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. He speaks this after admonishing us to live in love and forgiveness towards our neighbors. Do not retaliate against insults and aggression, do not hate and love the enemy, in short, behave like father.
Finally, the second reading, the first letter from São Paulo to the Corinthians, warns us that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul adds that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. Paul wants to tell us that our life model, our parameter, should be God our Father and Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Let’s face it: worldly values will not give us the happiness we want, only God will. Only Jesus has words of eternal life!