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February 26, 2019
Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy
In their quest for perfection in individuals and in society as a whole, philosophers have not based their cases on a temporal entity that all could emulate, but have had to look to a metaphysical eternal reality, that possesses all virtues in its perfection. Man could not and cannot talk about holiness, without referring to one who is all-holy – God. The existence of God is essential in man’s search for perfection and truth, for without God there is no perfection or truth. What philosophers have been able to decipher about the ultimate reality has clearly, and in simply verbiage, been revealed to man by God through his prophets. God instructed Moses: “Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.’”
Man is on a journey to perfection. On his way, man acquires virtues or vices, depending on his disposition. The actions and thoughts of man find meaning in reference to truth according to proper reasoning and what is found in the scriptures. The acknowledgement of the existence of absolute truth is vital if we rational beings are to be content and fulfilled. Denying the existence of absolute truth leads to chaos and relativism. Such a stance derails man’s quest for perfection, and denigrates the wisdom of the philosophers and the truth revealed in the scriptures. In the absence of absolute truth, there is no voice to inspire us to seek higher living, and man once again will resort to “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.”
The Catholic Church holds that the path to holiness is grounded in four principles, namely, eternal law, revealed laws, natural law, and church laws. These laws spring forth from one and the same source – God. Therefore, there cannot be any contradiction between these four principles that reveal truth – the ultimate truth. Know the truth, and truth shall set you free to abide by the will of God spelled concretely through nature, in the scriptures, and in His Church so that his people can attain holiness. Philosophers have tried to share wisdom in their limited way, suggesting how to build a virtuous but temporal city. Jesus emphatically states His mind to his disciples: “You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect” if the community of God is to be built for the eternal kingdom.
The laws of God are not intended to place a heavy burden of despair on humankind, but instead are demonstration of God’s love and concern. Man can achieve true perfection by humbly obeying the will of God spelled to him through His laws. St. Augustine would say, love and do whatever you will, meaning, if you sincerely love, you will not do anything to hurt God or your fellow human beings. In fact, Jesus summarizes the laws and prophetic teachings on two central principles, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He is the only person who ever walked on the face of the earth who had the audacity to say, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In other words, Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy. And Jesus noted that God makes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good and his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike.