On this seventh Sunday of Ordinary time, year A, the first words we hear in the first reading are striking: The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy …” This command to “be holy” is repeated by Paul (second reading) where he says that we are temples of God: for the Israelites, the presence of God filled the temple like a cloud, or smoke — one of the reasons we use incense today — but Paul takes it a step further and tells us that it is us being filled by the very Spirit of God. Jesus, at the end of the Gospel, puts the final nail in the command to be holy: Be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect. We hear about commandments and practices in all our readings today, but it is clear why: they help us to be that holy person, that holy people we are called to be. It is an amazing affirmation of us, isn’t it, that God thinks we can be holy like God is? Do you really believe that?
– Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia