Leviticus 22-27:34

As the Lord's explanation of the rules regarding sacrifices, holocausts, and offerings closes, He instructs Moses that an offering must be unblemished; it cannot be an offering of something that the owner would otherwise discard or have no use for. You shall not offer [a sacrifice] that has any defect, for such a one would not be acceptable for you. I was a freshman in college in 1978 when I had the good fortune to score a ticket to see John Paul II at Yankee Stadium. It was quite a memorable experience.  To think that I was present for a Mass offered by a man who will likely be recognized by the Church as a saint in my lifetime! In his homily that day, JP2 urged Catholics, and particularly Americans, to give of their substance and not just of their abundance. I am reminded of that message by the words from Leviticus quoted above. Do I do this? Do I offer to Him, and try to do His Will in, those aspects of my life I hold most dear?  Do I cabin off the "God times"--Mass on Sundays, certain times for prayers--and keep the rest for myself? Or do I try to weave Him into every aspect of my life? Well, I know what I should do, but I also know what I usually do--and unfortunately they are often not the same.

The Lord goes on to instruct Moses about the Holy Days, including Passover, the Day of Atonement, New Years' Day, etc. It is noteworthy that, with respect to each holy day, God calls for "a sacred assembly." Even as He addresses very personal aspects of human behavior in Leviticus, He calls them back to the community. The community, the sacred assembly, is a vital and integral part of living as God's people. So, too, with Catholicism. So much rides on the community and its response to God's call, to its collective action, its collective holiness, its collective sinfulness. The "Old Testament God" comes to the forefront as Leviticus closes, with many warnings about the punishments that await the chosen people should they ignore or reject the Lord--too numerous and frightening to catalog here. But even so, the Lord promises that I will not reject or spurn them, lest, by wiping them out, I make void my covenant with them; for I, the Lord, am their God. He is ever faithful, and will not forget His promises. 

Leviticus 15:1-18:18

The Lord institutes the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), on which the priest confesses "all the sinful faults and transgressions of the Israelite community" in order to make "atonement for himself and his household as well as the whole Israelite community." It is a day of fasting  to be observed on a set day each year, "so that you may be cleansed of all your sins before the Lord." On that day, the priest places the sins and transgressions of the community on the head of a live goat that is then sent away to the desert. I did not know until now that this is where the concept of a scapegoat came from! The Lord instructs Moses about the sacredness of blood, since "the life of a living body is in its blood." The Lord is very explicit about not partaking in blood, making me wonder if this might be a contrast to other religious rituals of that time. The Lord instructs Moses regarding the sanctity of sex, although it is essentially a list of sex one may not have, rather than a positive discussion. Not exactly John Paul II's Theology of the Body. In this section, however, there is also this powerful statement: Keep, then, my statutes and decrees, for the man who carries them out will find life through them. I am the Lord. Jesus the Lord ultimately fulfills the law and is the Way to new life.