As we reflect on today's reading from the Book of Leviticus, we are reminded that all life matters to God, particularly in dealing with moral and religious regulation related to daily life. For instance, how should we care for the land, treat our fellow workers, our social engagement with the weak and the poor, and our relationship with family, neighbours, and strangers - all of it matters to God.

"Be holy, for I, your God, am holy." Human holiness, Leviticus insists, comes from God's holiness and not by our own righteousness or doing. Holiness is the attribute of God. It is a divine gift in which we partake of God's holiness as we partake of God's image and knowing who we actually are.

"You shall be holy" is both a command and a promise. We are to have the attitude of having the right living and relationship with creation, others and ourselves. We should practice justice, integrity, responsibility, honesty, respect, compassion, especially towards the poor, the vulnerable and foreigners in our midst. We are formed into the people God calls us to be, a people living out the ordinary mundane of life with a genuine love for God and our neighbours.

In the Gospel reading of Matthew, this holiness is expressed visibly and positively in the here and now when we give food and drink to 'Jesus' in those who are hungry and thirsty, clothe 'Jesus' in those who are naked; visit "Jesus' in those who sick and in jail. Whether we realise it or not, every time we spontaneously take care of a brother or sister in need, we are actually serving Jesus himself.