I Can See Clearly Now

Once upon a time, on a grassy hilltop in a land far away, a ragged and unkempt rabbi turned to the milling crowds sitting on the hillside around him and began to deliver the Sermon on the Mount. He began with a short, lyrical list of proverbs that somewhere down the twisty and dangerous road of Church history came to be known as the Beatitudes.

The sixth one has always intrigued me: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." What did Jesus mean? They shall see God? What does purity have to do with it?

I am beginning to understand the answer. We find it a few miles away from the calm rabbi on the hilltop, surrounded by hurting people, hateful Pharisees, and confused disciples. Here is Jerusalem, and at its northern end we see the glimmering Temple built by Herod the Great, a world renowned religious site, and destination for thousands of curious and fervent pilgrims from all over the busy Roman world.

In the ancient scrolls containing the laws of the Jews as brought down the mountain by Moses, we see enshrined in Leviticus an intricate and all-encompassing code of rules and guidelines. For what? Purity. Why do the Israelites need to be pure? And there we have our answer.

Imagine, if you will, God. Yes, I know it's hard, but try. There is light: radiant, unapproachable light. There is sound: deep, harmonious sound like the growl of a black hole. Swirling colors, rushing winds, the fragrance of pulverized rock. But over the sensory overload there pulses something thats shakes our bones and makes our eyes water; something both magnificent and terrifying to behold: complete otherness. This is a being who is infinitely as different and separated from everything else as the farthest edge of the universe. Pure; sublime. Both the embodiment of the Law and its sworn enforcer.

In calm discussions far away from the power and glory we refer to this otherness as the Holiness of God. The idea of His holiness also includes His impeccability (complete inability to sin), and His total righteousness and intolerance of sin. Originally, He made humans to be sinless and pure in His sight.

We all know how that went.

God is holy. People, decidedly, are not. Saint John, beloved friend of Jesus and apostle of the Church, tells us in his first epistle that God is love. But we also know that God is justice. For awhile after Adam and Eve's goof, there was nothing to shield mankind from the divine justice emanating from the supreme Holiness of God. Until God, in love, stepped forward with a contingency plan.

The poor Hebrews were made abundantly and immediately aware of His holiness and their abject depravity as they watched, terrified, the summit of Mount Sinai being consumed with fire, light, smoke, and thunder as Almighty God descended to speak with Moses.

The results of this discussion were the Ten Commandments and the aforementioned religious obligations of the Hebrew nation embodied in Leviticus. God, despite His grandeur and transcendence, would make His home in a pretty tent at the center of the Israelite camp.

But, in order for Him to stay, and to pour out His blessings and gifts on the Israelites, they would have to uphold their purity, both as individuals and as a nation. In calm discussions far away from ancient life we refer to this as the Old Covenant. And the central, abiding, overriding, paramount component of that covenant was fidelity to Him as their one and only God.

But as soon as God turned His back, figuratively speaking, the idols and false gods began to creep in. Baal, Asherah, Moloch, Dagon, Marduk. And slowly but surely the false gods of the stars, the sun, and the moon choked out the glory those heavens were trying to proclaim. The end results were catastrophic for the Jews.

For you, dear reader, it may seem that the likes of Baal, Asherah, or Moloch are no longer distracting you from God. Ah, but you see, Satan (that ancient serpent) is still cleverly selling you the same old products in shiny new packages. Money, excellence, sex, beauty, power: all are at their root the pantheon of old. And make no mistake, all are idols that we whore ourselves after.

In the shrine atop the high place in my soul you find an idol of Intelligence. Next to it sits the altar where I sacrifice things to gain Respect From Others. In a prominent place reposes the false god called Religion. Above it all hangs an ever-burning lamp that symbolizes my devotion to Selfish Will. I am certain you have a similar place in your heart.

Idols clutter our sight and wreck our purity. The words of Jesus ring true. Why are the pure in heart blessed? Because they are the ones who can see God. There are no distractions, no clutter, no idols.

As the old hymn goes, create in me a pure heart, O God.