By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe. Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48
Children always have something of their parents. They are actually part of their parents in many ways, though they can develop differently due to nurture. Nature and nurture play vital role in the development of every individual. By nature we acquire the attributes of a certain generic identity such as the fact of being human and not animals like dogs or chicken. And by nurture we acquire characters and habits that define the kind of human being we become. The readings of today points out our true identity and how we can develop and become true to that identity.
It is amazing that it was written in Psalm 82:6 that we are Gods. The gospel of John 10:34 also talks about it, and today, in our second reading, St. Paul confirms it—“You are Gods, all of you, children of the Most High” (Psalm 82:6). If you think that Jesus is demanding the impossible by commanding us to offer no resistance to those who hurt us, but instead to love our enemies and pray for those that persecute us, you are very much mistaken. You are only looking at it from a purely human perspective without regard to your real identity. From a purely human perspective, it might seem as if being a Christian is the same as being a weakling, victim, timid, coward, etc. But reflecting deeper on it, you could find out that it is about mastery and power which takes a lot of time and character to build. It is very easy to mess things up, very easy to hurt or wound people. Where the difficulty lies is in building up, healing and restoring what is destroyed. Our power as Christians lies in what we can build, heal, develop, construct, restore, improve, reconcile, salvage, nurture, unite, and not what we can destroy or mess up. That is the difference between love and hate. Since God our Father is Love, we His children cannot be children of hate but of love. Thus, the command is based on Jesus’ understanding of who you and I are: we are Gods. As such, we should behave like God, not just like human beings—simple mortals. Our nature and status has been elevated, our citizenship transformed from earthly to heavenly. Philippians 3:20 notes that we are citizens of heaven. But do we realize it?
Fr. Anthony de Mello told a story about a hunter, who went into the forest to hunt. He came upon an eagle’s nest with eggs in it. The hunter picked the eggs and brought them home. He gave the eggs to his wife, who mixed them up with the eggs of an incubating hen. The unsuspecting hen hatched, what she thought were all her eggs, unknowing that she had both chicks and eaglets. One day, the brooding free-range hen was pasturing her chicks around the compound, when one of her chicks that was actually an eaglet, noticing some creatures like itself flying in the sky, said to the hen: “mom, look up, who are these guys flying up there?” The hen said to the supposed chick, “you belong down here, they belong up there, you just follow me!” The poor eaglet lived its life believing it was a hen, even though it was an eagle, for lack of knowledge. What a pity!
Yes, each and everyone of us need to think seriously about this. Reclaim your identity and dignity. You are more that just your body and mind – an earthly creature. If you don’t believe it, listen to our first reading: “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:1). God compares you and I to himself, no more no less! Are you still in doubt? Listen to Paul, in our second reading: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy” (I Corinthians 3:16-17). What other proof do you need to know that your identity derives from that of our Father who is called God? Otherwise He would would not require us to be like Him, for that would be demanding the impossible.
You know what? Holiness is what you and I are called to, not just the avoidance of sin. Don’t get me wrong, you need to avoid sin, certainly, but you will find yourself committing sin, if your plan is only to avoid sin. On the contrary, seek “holiness”! What is the difference? “Holiness” is becoming who you are, claiming your identity as a child of God. Thus, for Jesus, we must not only avoid returning evil for evil, but we must seek the good of those who wish us ill. That is the nature of our Father who makes his sun rise on the bad and the good and causes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Since our Father loves without boundary, we are expected to do the same. Listen to the gospel say the same thing: “be children of your heavenly Father . . . be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). So, the imitation of God is what holiness means, and that is the meaning of “you are Gods”.
Our homily today may sound idealistic, impossible and fantastic. But it is not. Take the example of a normal human behaviour. When a person is interested in doing something or in archieving a goal, he/she can spend a lot of time and energy on it, without any external coercion or obligation. Think of football fans. They could stay in the cold winter rain to cheer their club during a football match. At such time, they would be so focused on the game that one may wonder if it is really cold outside. When we want to become like God our Father, our minds would be only focused on how to achieve our objective. In like manner, we abandon sin and do not remember to commit sin because all our energy is dedicated to becoming like God. Here is where we experience and feel the power of love. When we love, there is no obligation, we find an inner motivation to crave for what we love.
Dear friends, becoming like God makes us realize that there is only one commandment—Love: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18), says our first reading. Through love, then, we realize that our neighbor is our brother/sister and fellow citizen. The thoughts of harming others disappear. The old law, “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy” disappears because the urge for revenge which is strictly human will no longer have absolute control over us. Then we can wish them well and hope they become better: we pray for them.
Our gospel reading gives us simple rules through which we know our citizenship—heavenly or earthly: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that?” If you’re still struggling with the forgiveness and love of your enemies, if you cannot pray for your enemies, when your love is partial, then your citizenship of heaven and identity as “god” is still very much in question.
This Sunday provides us with the knowledge that will help us to fly like the eagles that we are, not subdued and cowed down like the chickens we are told that we are—powerless sinners. Our world keeps telling us the bad story of what we do wrong, how it is “human to err,” without the encouragement that all is possible with God. Yet, the power of knowledge is the change it brings, the audacity it inspires and the challenge kindles in people. The choice is ours to make, either to listen to the untruth that celebrates our sins and human weakness or the determination to maximize the divine that is already in us. It is for everyone to make this choice individually. Indeed, “You are gods”. Reclaim your identity as a child of your loving father, and live in the boundless love that is meant for you.