FEBRUARY 19, 2017
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, 5:30 PM ORDINARY FORM (ENGLISH) MASS
Born in Madrid, in 1863, Jorge Agustin Nicolas Ruiz de Santayana y Borras – or George Santayana as he was later known – was a philosopher, poet, essayist, and novelist. He came the United States from the age of eight, and was considered an American writer – although he always kept his Spanish citizenship and passport.
Although he called himself an atheist, he continued to treasure the Catholic values, practices, and worldview that he was raised in.
He is remembered for his aphorisms – pithy observations, expressing a general truth … that is, what would be called “figures of speech.” He is credited with the well-known saying:
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.At the age of 48, he left the US for good – taking up residence in Rome – where he died 40 years later at the age of 88, in 1952.
Today is the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
In the First Reading from Leviticus, we hear God tell Moses:
Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.The Hebrew word translated here as “holy” is qadoush, a word meaning “pure, clean, and free from corruption.” In this way, holiness refers to the original state of humanity at the moment of creation in the Garden of Eden.
Yet, humanity’s original holiness was lost when Adam and Eve ate the apple at the prompting of the Serpent. So, here, in this reading, the Lord God is directing the people of Israel – “the whole Israelite community” – to recall … to remember … the past – humanity’s common past – of holiness, and to strive to return to that original state … the state in which humanity was created.
And at the end of today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus tell His disciples to:
… be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.Here, the word translated as “perfect” is the Greek word teleios, which means “complete, final, ultimate.” That is, here Our Lord is telling the disciples to strive for what they are called to … and what they will become in the eternal Kingdom.
For ourselves, we are reminded that we were created in holiness, and are ultimately called to perfection in Christ.
In other words, where we have come from … is God. And where we are headed … is God. God is our Source … and God is our destination.
St. Paul indicates that what connects these two points is not something that the World can provide, nor is it something that another person gives us. Rather, it comes to us as a free gift – a grace – through the Power of the Holy Spirit. And so, not only is God the beginning and the end – the Alpha and Omega of our existence … but He is also the motivation, the direction, and the guidance that leads us between those two points.
We are created for Him, and we are called to Him in the end. And in His generosity, He does not leave us orphans in-between; but rather through the Sacraments and the Church … we are configured and led by His grace, and mercy, and love.
As we approach this altar to receive the Sacred Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ … let us remember where we have come from … and direct our steps to our final end. May the Eucharist we receive today strengthen us to direct our thoughts and our minds and our actions … indeed, our entire lives, to God in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
