Homily: Friday of the 1st week of Lent 2016 - Surpassing holiness

Today we hear of another important Lenten theme: that of growth in holiness. 

Unless your holiness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you shall not enter the kingdom of God.

The scribes and Pharisees were admired for their zeal, concern for purity, their conformity to the law of Moses.  The very word Pharisee came comes from the word meaning “to separate”. The Pharisees sought to separate themselves from everything that was sinful. They would even avoid eating with sinners, hence, their consternation when Jesus would dine with tax collectors and prostitutes. 

How could our holiness possibly "surpass" that of the people of Jesus' day who obeyed every letter of the law?  It sounds as if Jesus has just set the highest standards in history. 

Jesus is of course not talking about external conformity to the law, but internal conformity as well, that the law and commandments of God be so interiorized that it penetrates to one’s heart and leads to living according to God’s ultimate intentions.

Jesus then gives this illustration of the surpassing righteousness that he is calling his disciples. “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, you shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.  But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”  Jesus does not want us merely to avoid killing one another; he calls us to remove the attitude and actions that lead to killing, or the destruction of relationship—indeed, to remove every obstacle in our hearts to unconditional love.

If we are wounded by another, we are to turn away from even the slightest desire for vengeance.  If we detect an ounce of resentment or bitterness, we are to repent and seek conversion.

Jesus then says, if you are on your way to bring your gift to the altar and you recall that your brother has something against you, leave your gift, and go be reconciled with your brother.  Imagine: you live in Nazareth, and you are on your way to Jerusalem, that’s a 63 mile trek, on foot.  Say you get 63 miles and you are recall how you never apologized to your brother for your hurtful words.  Turn around, walk back 63 miles, and go reconcile before returning to the temple to complete your sacrifice.

This hyperbole accentuates the urgency to resolve any tensions in relationships rather than letting them fester. How many of our own families have these festering wounds that could be healed, if we but took the initiative to be reconciled. Each of us needs to do everything in our power to be free from the seeds of anger, bitterness, resentment, and make our souls fertile ground for God’s peace, and holiness, and love? We could apply this same teaching to each of the vices: lust, greed, envy, gluttony, pride, sloth, wrath...going to great lengths to rid these things from our lives.

We are to go to great lengths to reconciliation because God has gone to great lengths to reconcile us to himself; he has gone to the cross, and so must we, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.