Holiness, part 2
Maimonides (1135-1234) was one
of the most influential Jewish philosophers of the Middle Ages. His major work
was the Mishneh Torah, The Book of
Knowledge, which lays out the theological and philosophical foundations of
Judaism. Today’s reflection on holiness is from the Mishnew Torah and you’ll notice that it is quite similar to the
teachings of Our Lord.
‘And you shall
walk in God’s ways’ (Deut 28:9)
Here is how
[our sages] explained this commandment:
just as God is
called gracious, so you should be gracious;
just as God is
called compassionate, so you should be compassionate;
just as God
is called holy, so you should be holy.
Our prophets
described God with such adjectives as for-bearing, filled with kindness,
righteous and upright, pure, mighty and strong, and so forth,
to teach that
these are good and upright qualities
that a person
must adopt,
emulating God
as much as possible. (found in Perennial Wisdom, p. 223)
My commentary:
Notice that all of these qualities deal with our interactions with other people
and the way we think about them, even about wretched sinners (and be careful
about your judgments in this regard). But what feeds these qualities is
our on-going relationship with God. Seek in prayer and especially in meditation
to deepen that relationship, and you will find yourself naturally acting
in ways that are considered holy.
You will surprise yourself as you become aware of the
changes that are taking place in your interactions and in your way of thinking.
God bless you!
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