Sermon Tone Analysis

Title

Be Holy - Love Your Neighbor

Outline

Be Holy - that means different things to different folk

For some it means be a hermit, a Juliana of Norwich, for example, given to a life of prayer

For others it means be like my group within the Church, doing things our way, which is analogous to Qumran or other Jewish parties in the first century

For yet others it means that one should aspire to an otherworldly ideal, impossible within this world

Yet in our texts it simply means, be like God, and we know what God was like when he became a human being

Leviticus defines meaning of holy as compatibility with God

After saying, “Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy,” there is teaching on revering mother and father, keeping sabbaths, keeping from idolatry, treating offerings properly, sharing the harvest with the poor, avoiding stealing and lying, especially profaning God’s name, oppressing one’s neighbor, including the hired servant, and doing injustice to one’s neighbor.

All of these are compatible with God’s character or not, as the case may be.

Finally, our passage sums it up: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart . . .

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.”

God is love, that is, not good feelings, but caring actions - act likewise.

We respond, “We know that, for that is how Jesus lived.”

In Paul the issue is party spirit dividing the community

The Church is one and holy: “you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.

If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.”

It is the unity of the Church that is compatible with the holiness of God.

It is not that a particular church leader is wise (as this world counts wisdom) and thus the one the follow.

It is not that a particular group is more “early church” or “true church” and thus the one to identify with.

It is that everything in the Church (and thus its unity) “belongs to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.” Holiness is unity as God is unity.

Finally, as usual, we have Jesus

“Offer no resistance to one who is evil” (instead let them take what rightfully belongs to you) and “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.”

That is holiness.

God is love; again love is not feelings, but loving/caring actions and Jesus lived this love right to his last drop of blood on the cross.

He was not us against them; he was not I will not talk with Sadducees or is that Pharisees, but will talk with outcasts - he equally calls all to true holiness and repentance so they could follow or be like him (although it is true that the outcasts seemed far more ready to repent).

And he gathered all into one single community we call the Church.

Sisters, this is our daily challenge

We look on a Church divided into factions, not to mention Protestant splintering.

“I am of the traditional Latin mass” and “I am for the blessing of anything on two legs.”

“Is Pope Francis a heretic?” goes one provocative videocast (based near Steubenville) with others proclaiming that they are Vatican II or follow the real Pope Benedict XVI.

I sometimes want to ask, “Which demon taught you that, for it is clear that it is not the unity Paul taught?”

And with such splintering comes attacks on your order (and other orders) or you mission or Priory within the order, etc.

And within the smaller group comes those having a bad day who feel hostile to you or perhaps are just different than you.

Of course, this is not just within religious groups, but within rectories or within marriages.

And of course there are those outside of the Church who are really hostile to the Church - the list goes on and on.

We are to be holy; we are to be like Jesus.

We recognize our preferences - I fit with Pope Benedict XVI more easily than with either Pope Francis or Pope St John Paul II but that is just culture and personality and my academic bent.

It makes me work harder to grasp my unity with those I naturally understand less.

But we also speak back to the devil - “No, I am not against that leader or sister or brother, God is holy and God is one and God is love, so I am one with them.”

And we refuse to say and do anything which drives a wedge between segments of the Church, even those whom we see doing apparent evil.

Finally, rather than anger at our persecutors or enemies, we weep for and pray for them, expressing our unity with Jesus who died for them by our willingness to do the same.

Our call is to be holy; therefore we love our neighbor.

Readings

FIRST READING

Leviticus 19:1–2, 17–18

1 The LORD said to Moses: 2 Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.

17 You shall not hate any of your kindred in your heart.

Reprove your neighbor openly so that you do not incur sin because of that person.

18 Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your own people.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD.

RESPONSE

Psalm 103:8a

8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

PSALM

Psalm 103:1–4, 8, 10, 12–13

1 Of David.

Bless the LORD, my soul;

all my being, bless his holy name!

2 Bless the LORD, my soul;

and do not forget all his gifts,

3 Who pardons all your sins,

and heals all your ills,

4 Who redeems your life from the pit,

and crowns you with mercy and compassion,

8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,

slow to anger, abounding in mercy.

10 He has not dealt with us as our sins merit,

nor requited us as our wrongs deserve.

12 As far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

SECOND READING

1 Corinthians 3:16–23

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

18 Let no one deceive himself.

If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool so as to become wise.

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written:

“He catches the wise in their own ruses,”

20 and again:

“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

21 So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you, 22 Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you, 23 and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

1 John 2:5

5 But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.

This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:

GOSPEL

Matthew 5:38–48

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

39 But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.

When someone strikes you on [your] right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.

40 If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.

41 Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.

42 Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.