Readings:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18; Psalm 19; Matthew 25:31-46

‘Be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy… You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour… you must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wages till next morning… You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great… You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must love your neighbour as yourself.‘
Leviticus 19:2, 11-18

‘In so far as you did this [feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick and imprisoned] to one of these least, you did it to me… in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.‘
Matthew 25

Being holy suggests to us a withdrawn character, impractical, someone who spends an inordinate amount of time praying, whose conversation is limited to pious reflections and exhortations, with minimal appetite and given to tears. The picture reflects our own mistaken notion of what holiness means. Leviticus spells out the meaning of holiness: it is earthy, practical, wise and can be practised in any state of life. Jesus, in his description of the Final Judgment, makes no mention of prayer, of fasting, of religious belief or ritual, or of any kind of orthodoxy: he says that our relationship to God is in our relationship to our neighbour. Service to our neighbour is serving God: neglecting our neighbour is neglecting God. The message is clear, but we keep on ignoring it, persisting in thinking that holiness is an individual matter, an attitude of mind and heart suitable for church services, but quite impractical elsewhere.

God is holy. ‘Holy’ describes two aspects of God, his transcendence and his immanence. Transcendence means that God is always greater, always beyond our thinking and imagining, separate and different from his creation. That is one aspect of his holiness. The other is that he is also immanent, in all things, ‘closer to me than I am to myself’ said Augustine, ‘in him we live, and move, and exist’ said Paul. In his immanence he is, ‘tender and compassionate, slow to anger, most loving’ (Psalm 103:8).

When Israel is told ‘Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy’, the command means that Israel must keep itself separate from everything which is opposed to the holiness of God, so the first commandment is ‘Thou shalt not have false gods before me.’ The people must never identify God with anything in creation. They are called to be a pilgrim people, but their final destination is beyond this world. But as long as they are in this world, the immanent holiness of God must be reflected in the minds, hearts and actions of the people, mirroring the tenderness, compassion, kindness and faithfulness of God.

Prayer and fasting is of value only in so far as it helps us keep our mind and heart focused on God, the Holy One, so that we can become channels of his compassion for all creation. Holiness is not to be measured by the time we spend in prayer, nor by the visions, ecstasies, levitations or inner feelings we may have, but by the quality of our relationships, how they reflect the goodness and love of God. Someone has written, ‘We are as near to God as we are to the person we like least.’ I have a horrible suspicion that the writer may be right!

Prayer
Spirit of God, Holy One, breathe your Spirit into us, so that safe from every form of idolatry, our lives may mirror your tenderness and loving compassion for all creation. We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.