Liv. 19:1-2, 17-18; Ps. 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Cor. 3:16-23; Mt.5:38-48

Be perfect, be holy as our heavenly father is perfect and holy.  This is our call in every state of life for if we have come and surrendered ourselves to him we become the temple of God and all our response to life good or evil, just or unjust is the love of a merciful God.  Today, Jesus delivers the roadmap to “be perfect, be holy” which is to allow him to reside in us as his temple that he may manifest himself through us to the world. 

We recall the once very popular letters “WWJD” meaning “what would Jesus do”.  Today he is saying “if you love me do as I have revealed to you to do, do that!”  Immediately we recognize if we are honest to ourselves our weakness to “do that!”.  It also raises some important questions such as “are we to ignore evil?” or “are we to accept injustice?” or “or are we to let others take advantage of us?”  What did Jesus do?  In some situations, Jesus did this by remaining silent, in other situations he walked away, he also turned the tables on tax collectors, and in many situations, Jesus spoke up and delivered the truth.  To be perfect, be holy is to discern the will of God and allow him to work through us to deliver God’s message of salvation. 

The words “God works in mysterious ways” is to carry a missionary spirit knowing that in God there is no hate for he is love and his love is perfect and holy.  The missionary spirit accepts that to be perfect be holy is going to constantly be tested by a world that lives for itself and rejects God.  God works to turn the tables on the world through the sacrifice of his sons and daughters as he did in Jesus.  In this world we may not know the good of our sacrifice but the day is coming when the reward will be revealed to us and the impact of our sacrifice. 

There are many battles in the war against sin and not all are our calling but every day there is a battle before us in which we are being asked to be perfect in our response and bring God’s holiness into the moment by declaring our love of God by our love response to others.  In this we will know God is with us until the end of the world.