You Shall Be

A Reflection on the First Reading for February 23rd, 2020: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Leviticus 19

The Lord spoke to Moses:
“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel
and say to them:
‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin;
you shall reprove your neighbour,
or you will incur guilt yourself.
You shall not take vengeance
or bear a grudge against any of your people,
but you shall love your neighbour as yourself:
I am the Lord.’”

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You shall be, for I am.


Have you ever heard the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do?” I heard it a lot growing up. It infuriated me, to be honest. It set a double standard, essentially calling me to behave better than those who were meant to be my example. As a parent, I aim to never ask my children to do anything I wouldn’t also do myself. This is a difficult row to hoe—worthwhile, but difficult. But what in life is worthwhile without there being a degree of difficulty in attaining it? Why shouldn’t we call ourselves to new and nobler standards of conduct? Why shouldn’t we call others to new and nobler standards of conduct? I’m not just talking about the children we have been called to train in the ways of the Lord, I’m talking about our neighbours. How are we doing with the command, “You shall reprove your neighbour?” Let me tell you, I am not rocking it.


The biblical definition of the word reprove, is to provide gentle correction. If we see a wrong being committed, and we stand by without confronting the issue, God says we will incur guilt. It’s true. This is a thing. I carry lots of guilt for my times of inaction; wordlessness in the face of injustice. Because we are one in Him, when they hurt, I hurt, you hurt, and He hurts. This is the truth of our interconnectedness.


But how do we take on corrective action without causing offence? In my workplace, the sandwich method was used for years as a way to provide negative feedback. Clinical leaders would smoosh the thing you did wrong between two things you had recently done well. I would immediately become nervous when someone would compliment me because I knew that inevitably the bad news was on its heels. Even though the bad stuff was sandwiched between good things, it was always my deficiency that lingered in my heart. This is not what God intends for reproval. It is not meant to draw us into self-deprecation or unhealthy levels of guilt, it is meant to spur us toward growth.


As a good father should, God, having faith in His creation, leans into us, calling us out of our comfort zone and into new realms of freedom and virtue. He Himself exemplifies freedom and virtue, so by following His example we must lean into one another—in love and truth. These kinds of conversations can range from a simple one-off correction, to a deeper level of accompaniment, requiring discernment and primarily, relationship. It is out of nurturing, honest, and committed relationships that we can call one another into the areas of growth that God desires for us. If these relationships don’t yet exist in your life, that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. We can listen for God’s wisdom and guidance through prayer, to mould and shape our lives in a more virtuous direction, and all of our relationships will fluorish as we grow closer to Him.


My pastor once shared this prayer with me, and I want to share it now with you. May you be as He is.

Healing Prayer at Bedtime

Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, go back into my memory as I sleep.
Every hurt that has ever been done to me, heal that hurt.
Every hurt that I have ever caused to another person, heal that hurt.
All of the relationships that have been damaged in my whole life that I am not aware of,
heal those relationships.
But Lord, if there is anything that I need to do --
if I need to go to a person because they are still suffering from my hand --
​bring to my awareness that person.
I choose to forgive and I ask to be forgiven.
Remove whatever bitterness that may be in my heart, Lord, and fill the empty spaces with Your love.
Thank you, Jesus.
​Amen.

​

​Lori MacDonald

Photo by joyce huis on Unsplash

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