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     Today's first scripture comes to us from the Book of Leviticus which places great emphasis on various observances and rituals as the way to "holiness."  This goal has to be kept in mind when reading this book, otherwise it will seem like a list of quaint customs from antiquity.  Economists and farmers would roll their eyes at the notion of a sabbatical year or a Jubilee year.  There appears to have been something like this that actually happened, but the last lines tell us why it is mentioned - the necessity to be fair in the observance - to be holy as the Lord is holy.

 

      Physical behavior as a manifestation of certain transcendent values is always a subject fraught with tension.  The Pharisees criticized Jesus and his disciples for their failure to be scrupulous about washing before eating or doing "work" (healing) on the Sabbath.  This wasn't a matter of being polite as in Miss Manners, but a question of being "holy!"  Jesus' response was to call attention to the purpose of the law.  It was not promulgated for its own self, but to give shape to the relationship between God and the people.  When the law failed in this purpose, the values (mercy, justice, love) required other behavior that would accomplish the purpose. 

 

     We Catholics have all kinds of "etiquette" that are characteristic of our traditions.  Genuflection in church, kneeling, the holy water font and Sign of the Cross on entering and leaving a church, etc. etc.  We don't do these things just because we happen to be Catholics and these things are what Catholics do!  That holy water font and the Sign of the Cross are meant to remind us of our baptism!!!  All the other "etiquette" has this purpose as well - to remind us of certain important realities.  When they don't serve that purpose, then we find some other way.  Reading Leviticus is valuable because it can challenge us to ask ourselves, WHY do we do various observances, and thus we can remember the values enshrined in them.  AMEN