July 15, 2007 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

  2007년 7월 15일 연중 제15주일

 

 제1독서

신명기 30,10-14
모세가 백성에게 말하였다. 10 “너희가 주 너희 하느님의 말씀을 듣고, 이 율법서에 쓰인 그분의 계명들과 규정들을 지키며, 마음을 다하고 목숨을 다하여 주 너희 하느님께 돌아오너라.
11 내가 오늘 너희에게 명령하는 이 계명은 너희에게 힘든 것도 아니고 멀리 있는 것도 아니다. 12 그것은 하늘에 있지도 않다.
그러니 ‘누가 하늘로 올라가서 그것을 가져다가 우리에게 들려주리오? 그러면 우리가 실천할 터인데.’ 하고 말할 필요가 없다.
13 또 그것은 바다 건너편에 있지도 않다. 그러니 ‘누가 바다 저쪽으로 건너가서 그것을 가져다가 우리에게 들려주리오? 그러면 우리가 실천할 터인데.’ 하고 말할 필요도 없다.
14 사실 그 말씀은 너희에게 아주 가까이 있다. 너희의 입과 너희의 마음에 있기 때문에, 너희가 그 말씀을 실천할 수 있는 것이다.”

제2독서

콜로새서 1,15-20
15 그분은 보이지 않는 하느님의 모상이시며, 모든 피조물의 맏이이십니다. 16 만물이 그분 안에서 창조되었기 때문입니다. 하늘에 있는 것이든 땅에 있는 것이든, 보이는 것이든 보이지 않는 것이든, 왕권이든 주권이든 권세든 권력이든, 만물이 그분을 통하여, 또 그분을 향하여 창조되었습니다. 17 그분께서는 만물에 앞서 계시고, 만물은 그분 안에서 존속합니다.
18 그분은 또한 당신 몸인 교회의 머리이십니다. 그분은 시작이시며, 죽은 이들 가운데에서 맏이이십니다. 그리하여 만물 가운데에서 으뜸이 되십니다. 19 과연 하느님께서는 기꺼이 그분 안에 온갖 충만함이 머무르게 하셨습니다. 20 그분 십자가의 피를 통하여 평화를 이룩하시어 땅에 있는 것이든 하늘에 있는 것이든, 그분을 통하여 그분을 향하여 만물을 기꺼이 화해시키셨습니다.

 

 복음

루카 10,25-37
그때에 25 어떤 율법 교사가 일어서서 예수님을 시험하려고 말하였다. “스승님, 제가 무엇을 해야 영원한 생명을 받을 수 있습니까?”
26 예수님께서 그에게 말씀하셨다. “율법에 무엇이라고 쓰여 있느냐? 너는 어떻게 읽었느냐?” 27 그가 “‘네 마음을 다하고 네 목숨을 다하고 네 힘을 다하고 네 정신을 다하여 주 너의 하느님을 사랑하고’ ‘네 이웃을 너 자신처럼 사랑해야 한다.’ 하였습니다.” 하고 대답하자, 28 예수님께서 그에게 이르셨다. “옳게 대답하였다. 그렇게 하여라. 그러면 네가 살 것이다.”
29 그 율법 교사는 자기가 정당함을 드러내고 싶어서 예수님께, “그러면 누가 저의 이웃입니까?” 하고 물었다.
30 예수님께서 응답하셨다.
“어떤 사람이 예루살렘에서 예리코로 내려가다가 강도들을 만났다. 강도들은 그의 옷을 벗기고 그를 때려 초주검으로 만들어 놓고 가 버렸다.
31 마침 어떤 사제가 그 길로 내려가다가 그를 보고서는, 길 반대쪽으로 지나가 버렸다. 32 레위인도 마찬가지로 그곳에 이르러 그를 보고서는, 길 반대쪽으로 지나가 버렸다.
33 그런데 여행을 하던 어떤 사마리아인은 그가 있는 곳에 이르러 그를 보고서는, 가엾은 마음이 들었다. 34 그래서 그에게 다가가 상처에 기름과 포도주를 붓고 싸맨 다음, 자기 노새에 태워 여관으로 데리고 가서 돌보아 주었다. 35 이튿날 그는 두 데나리온을 꺼내 여관 주인에게 주면서, ‘저 사람을 돌보아 주십시오. 비용이 더 들면 제가 돌아올 때에 갚아 드리겠습니다.’ 하고 말하였다.
36 너는 이 세 사람 가운데에서 누가 강도를 만난 사람에게 이웃이 되어 주었다고 생각하느냐?”
37 율법 교사가 “그에게 자비를 베푼 사람입니다.” 하고 대답하자, 예수님께서 그에게 이르셨다. “가서 너도 그렇게 하여라.”

 

 

 

 July 15, 2007

 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

 Reading 1
Dt 30:10-14

Moses said to the people:
“If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God,
and keep his commandments and statutes
that are written in this book of the law,
when you return to the LORD, your God,
with all your heart and all your soul.

“For this command that I enjoin on you today
is not too mysterious and remote for you.
It is not up in the sky, that you should say,
‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
Nor is it across the sea, that you should say,
‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us
and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’
No, it is something very near to you,
already in your mouths and in your hearts;
you have only to carry it out.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37

R. (cf. 33) Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

or

Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (9a) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Reading II
Col 1:15-20

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation.
For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things were created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Gospel
Lk 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

Moses pleads with the people to heed God's voice and keep his commandments/law, and return with all their heart and soul. He tells them that God's command, his Word, is so close to them, in their mouths and hearts-all they have to do is carry it out. This Word in its fullness we know to be Christ Jesus, the image of the invisible God, This Jesus has reconciled both heaven and earth, and all of us to God. We now live in peace that has been shared with us through the cross of Christ-Jesus' obedience in the face of violence and hate.

Jesus is approached by a lawyer and is asked, "What shall I do to receive eternal life?" The man should know the answer to his own question. Is he mocking Jesus? He repeats the law but when he is told to obey it, he wants specifics-who is my neighbor? He wants the bottom line, the least he has to do to have eternal life. Jesus tells the story of a Samaritan, hated by the Jews, who acts towards a Jew with tenderness and devotion that goes beyond anything required (considering that he is supposed to be an enemy). Jesus takes the Samaritan and tells the Jew to imitate him-for he reveals the goodness of God so clearly. This is eternal life: to live with such love and care towards one's enemies because of pity like God has pity on us. Who are our enemies and are we tending to them in this way as commanded?
 

 

 

 PRE-PRAYERING

We prepare for special visitors in special ways. We desire to delight them, help them to feel comfortable. We ask ourselves and perhaps others about what foods they like, what activities would please them. These are visible signs of affection and intimacy.

In preparing for the liturgy we might be tempted to get our personal house in order so the Special Guest will be pleased, delighted, and feel welcomed. What is special about the Eucharistic Presence, the Visitor Who never goes away, Who has made His home in us, is that His delight is in us always. We prepare for the liturgy by being more attentive to welcoming Him into those places in our personal lives where we would rather not have any visitors. We can pray with the dark corners, our hiding places and messiness, where God is waiting to welcome us.

REFLECTION

Moses is completing his presenting of all the laws, customs and ordinances which the people of Israel are bound, covenanted, to observe. When they fulfill these, then the Lord will delight in the resulting prosperity of their fields, their cattle, and their fruitful bodies.

What we hear in today’s First Reading are verses of comfort. Though the laws are many and detailed, they are not strange or disorienting to their minds and hearts. Moses has said that the Lord will continue to circumcise their hearts so that they all will know to whom they belong. These words of the Law are in a head-language and a heart vernacular so that there is no need for certain wise persons to interpret them. They are clear when thought about and comforting when experienced as a way of God’s loving them and their responding lovingly to God.

The Jews have the Word of God affixed to doorposts in a little box called a mezuzah, and can wear the Word of God in little cloth or leather pouches over their hearts and foreheads. These are called “Tefilin” emphasis on the second syllable. Moses declaims that these Laws will keep them close to God as God is close to them. They are not unreasonable, or violent to the human spirit.

The Gospel contains a beautiful and equally threatening parable. A scholar of the law asks Jesus a question, meant more as a beginning of a discussion than a simple request for information. Jesus, in His usual manner, answers a question with a question. The man knows well the dictates of the Law and responds correctly. According to the Book of Leviticus 19: 18, loving neighbor is a sacred responsibility of the faithful Jewish person. So to extend the discussion and perhaps get the upper hand, the scholar asks the obvious question and Jesus takes it out of the scholar’s hand and lays it on his heart.

A foreigner becomes the hero by placing himself in the vulnerable position of not being anybody’s neighbor. The beaten man sets up the tension. The two religious figures, who do not tend to the man, heighten the heroism of the despised Samaritan. Jesus is telling this story to move from the Law to the Good News. The good news of the parable has several aspects.

The two who pass by on the “opposite side” have their religious reasons. Their being faithful to their understanding of the laws of physical purity are righteous in their eyes. The good news of Jesus expressed in the parable is that “unlawful” love of the injured is the new and complete righteousness. Keeping our eyes and hearts open to the robbed is more blessed than keeping our eyes on keeping legal strictures.

A foreigner is moved with compassion flowing from his head and heart. Jesus is the compassionate stranger to our fallen, robbed-of-innocence humanity. Jesus is on “our side” and takes us in to the “inn” of His embrace after tending to our wounds through the Sacraments. “Oil” and “wine” are the healing “bandages” of His touch.

The good news is that we are relieved from our wondering what exactly are we to do when healed and sent back on our journeys. We are to “Go and do likewise.” Selfishness in its various forms of protection, personal image, and indulgence, are very close to our minds and hearts. This interior law is not so far away or high above us. We do not need anybody to teach us how to be greedy, egocentric, or lazy. Nobody had to teach me on the day my mother put the frosting bowl between my sister and me, that if I smacked her with my spoon she would run crying to my mother and I could quickly scoop up all my unjust, but delightful desserts.

There are two forms of “good news”. one is the selfishly good news that each of us can walk on the “opposite” side of the other “good news” which we keep hearing and making the center of our lives. The selfless law of Jesus is warming to the heart when we hear it, but the other “good news” of our ignoring selves, still remains in effect. So again, the Gospel of Jesus puts us in tension. We ask also about just who is our neighbor whom we should care for and who can we pass by and with whom not have to share our frosting. We would say that our neighbor is the one who will appreciate our gestures of generosity. Our neighbors are those whom we know. Our neighbors are those who are similar to us; think the way we do, act in accordance with our values. This is natural and warming to the heart and mind.

Jesus’ teaching is His whole life of including, embracing, and saving us in our being stripped, beaten by the ways of the world within and around us. He has brought us from our own being half-dead back to full life. As my mother had to do, Jesus keeps teaching us to share, to extend His compassion, and work to heal. In doing this, He lives through our stoppings and we really do put ourselves in positions to our receiving truly our just desserts.

“How happy they who dwell in your house! For ever they are praising you.” Ps. 84, 4

 

 by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality

 

 

 "Go and do likewise"

 

What would you do if your neighbor got into big trouble through his or her own fault? For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself. A Jewish expert in the law wanted to test Jesus and his disciples to see if they correctly understood this basic commandment. He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of  Israel. Jesus agreed with the sincere expert but challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went beyond his narow definition.

Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards all. Jesus's story of a brutal highway robbery  was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow and steep valley surrounded by cliffs. Many wealthy Jews had winter homes in Jerico. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think of traveling it alone.

Why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they know that this victim was their neighbor? And why did a Samaritan, an outsider who was despised by the Jews, treat this victim with special care at his own expense as he would care for his own family? Who showed true neighborly care, compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews. Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits were using a decoy to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor.

What does Jesus' story tell us about true love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves  through their own fault. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and emphathizing with others are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide as God's love. No one is excluded. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Are you ready to lay down your life for your neighbor?

"Lord, may your love always be the foundation of my life. And may my love for you express itself in an eagerness to do good for others."

Psalm 69:13-16,29-30,32-36

13 But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of thy steadfast love answer me.  With thy faithful help
14 rescue me from sinking in the mire;  let me be delivered from my enemies  and from the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, O LORD, for thy steadfast love is good; according to thy abundant mercy, turn to me.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain; let thy salvation, O God, set me on high!
30 I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.
35 For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah;  and his servants shall dwell there and possess it;
36 the children of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

 

 

 
NEAR-MISS?

'It is something very near to you.' Deuteronomy 30:14

The priest and Levite both 'saw' the wounded victim, but didn't want to get near him (Lk 10:31, 32). The Samaritan, though, had no hesitation about getting near the hurting man. The Samaritan 'approached him' (Lk 10:34) and 'treated him with compassion' (Lk 10:37).

Love has to get near and get involved. Love by its very nature can't keep its distance. Jesus, Who is Love, could have remained in heaven in eternal bliss with His Father. However, His love impelled Him (see 2 Cor 5:14) to seek us out (Lk 19:10), be near us (Ps 145:18), and even be God-with-us, Emmanuel (Mt 1:23). Now He even is so near us that He dwells within us (Jn 6:56; 17:23).

Is there any person, group, or class of people you won't get near? Do you stay away from the poor, uneducated, crippled, retarded, aged, criminals, unrepentant, or those of a different race or religion? These may be your 'wounded victims,' your chance to be a good Samaritan. Jesus may be saying that as often as you neglected to get near these people, you neglected to get near Him (Mt 25:45).

Praise: Praise Jesus, Who loved His disciples so much that the sealed tomb and the sealed upper room couldn't hold Him back. Alleluia! Come, Lord Jesus!
Prayer: Jesus, You never kept Your distance from anyone. May I and all who follow You love as You love.
Promise: 'The Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not.' Ps 69:34

 

 

 «A Samaritan was moved with compassion. He went over to him and treated his wounds. Then he put him on his own mount...»

Today, we might wonder: «Who is my neighbor?» (Lk 10:29). Some inquisitive Jews were wondering why their rabbi disappeared on Saturday vigils. They suspected he had a secret, maybe with God, and they entrusted someone to follow him..., what he, quite moved, did to a wretched slum. There he saw the rabbi cooking and sweeping at some woman's home: she was a paralytic, and the rabbi was serving her and preparing her some special meal for the festivity. When the spy came back, the Jews asked him: «Where did he go, to Heaven, amongst clouds and stars?». But the spy answered: «No!, he climbed up much higher».

To love our neighbor with good deeds is the highest up we can climb; it is where true love is made manifest, not just passing by on the other side: In a document, the 2nd Vatican Ecumenical Council, asserts «Christ himself raises his voice amongst the poor so as to stir up his disciples' charity».

To be a good Samaritan means to change our plans («he went over to him»), dedicating our time («he took care of him»)... Which allows us to contemplate the figure of the innkeeper, as His Holiness John Paul II points out: «What could the Samaritan have done without him? In fact, the innkeeper, remaining anonymous, is who takes care of the toughest part of the job. We can all act like him if we fulfill our own task with a spirit of service. Every occupation offers the more or less direct possibility to help the needy (...). The faithful accomplishment of our own professional duties already implies the practice of our loving all persons as well as our society».

To leave everything to harbor he who needs it (the good Samaritan) and to do well our job for love (the innkeeper), are the two ways for us to love our neighbor: «‘Which (…) made himself neighbor’ (...). ‘The one who had mercy on him’. And Jesus said, ‘Go then and do the same’» (Lk 10:36-37).

We turn to the Virgin Mary and She —who is a living example!— will help us discovering our neighbors' material and spiritual needs.

 

 

Our faith is eminently simple.   Love God, and love neighbor.   We do not need to be geniuses of doctors of theology to do this.    We don’t need to go to a faraway country to find some esoteric guru to explain to us the mysteries of life.    We simply need to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.    In the first reading, Moses tells us that if we really did this, all the nations of the world would see how truly wise we are. 

In the gospel, Jesus combines two commandments of the Torah as the summary of all morality and virtue: Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to love God with heart, soul, strength, and mind.   Leviticus 19:18 tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves.   Sometimes, however, we like to put limits on love, so Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.   Jews and Samaritans hated each other; yet here a Samaritan looks after a bloodies Jew when his fellow Jews looked away.   That kind of love is to be the measure of our own:   Providing for those in need, even if they are enemies.
Having said that faith is eminently simple, our second reading is one of the most profound passages in the entire bible!   The background is the belief of the Jews that the Torah was the eternal, unchanging, self-manifestation of God.    From all eternity, God spoke his word in the Torah.   The Torah was the model of all creation, and well as the cause and purpose of all creation.   All things were made for the Torah and unto the Torah.   The Torah was delivered to Moses in time, on Mt. Sinai, but it was eternal.   Paul had been a Pharisee.   When he became Christian, he simply applied to Jesus Christ everything that he had previously believed about the Torah: Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God.   He (not the Torah) is the first born of creation.  All things were created in him and for him (and not in and for the Torah.)   Everything that makes God to be God resides bodily in Jesus Christ.   He is the “fullness” of the Father.    Faith is simple enough for the humblest of persons; yet it is profound enough to boggle the mind of the greatest scholar!
 

 

Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html  

Whose Schedule Really Matters?

 

            Usually when we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan the priest will note in his homily that those who passed up the poor man were part of the Temple ritual and should not be confused with Christian or Catholic Church priests or Church workers.

 

            I’m not so sure.

 

            Yes, the priest and Levite of the parable had to avoid ritual impurity and would not have been able to serve their function in the Temple if they had touched a dead or diseased person.  But I am not so sure that the parable couldn’t be pointed to all of us, priests and Church workers included.

 

            With the growth of the people in the faith and the shortage of priests, we priests are busier than ever.  But, are we too busy to be compassionate?  When a person comes to the office crying, when a wife calls to ask if someone could see her husband before he dies, when a young couple need to deal with a crisis, a priest has to forgo his schedule, or make an appropriate accommodation, and have show compassion for those who are hurting.   All Church workers as well as those who teach in our schools and childhood centers need to do the same.  If we don’t, and when we don’t, then we become so busy doing our work that we miss the Lord reaching out to us.  “But, I’m doing the Lord’s work,” we might protest, and we do so protest.  Then we are confronted with this rhetorical question: “How can you be doing the Lord’s work if you are missing the presence of the Lord reaching out for help?”

 

            It is the same for all Christians.  We cannot claim that we are doing something good if the major action of our Christianity is mere attendance in Church. 

 

            Recently I was speaking with a young Mom who got herself into a bit of a predicament marriage wise.  Actually, it was the lack of the marriage that made the predicament.  She was in my office with her fiancé as we were getting things straightened out for them both.  As an aside, let me say that I often mention to people that our lives would be wonderful if we went in a straight line from the starting line to the finish line, but sadly none of us do.  What is important is that we find ways to get to that finish line.  Anyway, so you can see I had two good people in my office who were not in a proper relationship but who were working on it.  Back to the story, the girl told me about a friend of hers who was killed and how she and her fiancé were spending all sorts of time with the friends family as well as writing them, sending them notes encouraging them to keep the faith and to know that God was with them.  I said to myself, “Now this is a good Christian and a Good Samaritan.”  She may not be seen by some to be in the mainstream of religious life like the Samaritan of the parable, but she knows what she needs to do to be a Christian. She needs to be compassionate.

 

            Good Christian husbands, when your wives are having a down day, or are in a funk, perhaps feeling overwhelmed and under-appreciated, be good Christians and good Catholics and drop whatever you are doing to just be with her.  Don’t be concerned like most men with accomplishing something, or even with solving her problems.  You can’t.  Just be present for her and with her, even if you do nothing more than chat.  That is being compassionate.  That is being a Good Samaritan.

 

            Good Christian wives, when your husband is so concerned over providing better for the family, and is full of anxiety wondering how you are going to pay for your ordinary expenses, let alone the kids’ college and your own futures, just let him know that you and he will always be together, you will always have love and God will take care of the rest.  All of us men have a lot of little boy in us that needs to hear someone we love tell us everything is going to be OK.  That is how you ladies can be Good Samaritans.

 

            Good Christian parents, stop being so concerned with filling your children’s schedule and be more concerned with being physically present to hear their needs when they express them.  Maybe the folks next door have their kids in every activity possible.  If that works for them, great.  But being a Good Samaritan for your own children is being available to be compassionate for them.

 

            Good Christian children and Teens, your Mom and Dad love you, but they are not perfect.  Like you, God is still working on them.  He’s basically working on them through you teaching them new levels of patience and understanding.  Even still, the worse thing that bothers your parents is when they think they have not been as good of parents as they could have been.  When you know they feel bad about how they reacted to something you said or did, how about letting it go and give them a hug or kiss?  Better yet, how about not provoking them and do your part in the family–chores, etc.

 

            Good Christians, all of us, we need to stop trying to “schedule Jesus”.  Jesus is not on our schedule. We are on His schedule.  And He is on the schedule of those who need us to show compassion. 

 

            Pray, all of us, that we don’t overlook His presence when He reaches out to us in those who need our love, our charity.

 

 

 

 Homily from Father Phil Bloom
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/

 The Good Pagan and The Good Samaritan

(July 15, 2007)

Bottom line: A good pagan can - to a certain degree - live God's law, but only the Good Samaritan can bind our wounds.

Sometimes people wonder about the "good pagan." He is the guy who has no outward practice of religion, but who appears to be a better "Christian" than those who call themselves Christians. In spite of not having an apparent belief in God, the good pagan seems more compassionate, fair and loving than those who engage in religious practices.

The good - or righteous - pagan may even be aware of his superiority to religious folk: "I don't need to go to church to do the right thing. Those church goers are a bunch of hypocrites." Perhaps you have heard people say things like that, maybe even someone in your own family. The righteous pagan is a challenge to those who go to church. How should we respond to him?

First of all, we should not consider the good pagan so strange. In the today's Old Testament reading, Moses tells us that the commandments of God are "not too mysterious or remote." They are not somewhere up in the sky nor do we need to cross an ocean to find God's law. It is, says Moses, "very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts." It should not surprise us that a pagan, a non-believer, knows the right thing to do. St. Paul tells us that God's law is "written on our hearts."

To the person who says, "I don't need to go to church to do the right thing," we respond, "neither do we." Like the good pagan, you and I have an innate sense of right and wrong.* We know God's law in our hearts, but we also know something else. We recognize that we have fallen short, that we have often not obeyed God's law. And even though he might be reluctant to admit it, that "good pagan" has similarly fallen short. Like you and me, he has done some things he would rather not talk about.

We come to church not celebrate our own goodness, but because of someone who is truly good. Today we hear about a figure who has fulfilled God's law in a marvelous manner. He is called the "Good Samaritan." But who is he? Early Christian writers identified the Good Samaritan as Jesus himself. He showed perfect compassion.

Here is how St. Augustine and other Church Fathers interpreted the parable of the Good Samaritan: The man who journeyed from Jerusalem to Jericho represents humanity, you and me. Jericho beckoned and we left the holy city. But along the way, robbers attacked us and dumped us in a ditch, naked and half-dead. The robbers are the demons and the temptations of this world. Jesus - the Good Samaritan - shows compassion. He bandages our wounds and takes us to an inn, his Church. He gives the innkeeper two coins, the great commandments: to love God and to love ones neighbor.

Many of you bear wounds. You do not come to Church to brag about how good you are, but to have those wounds bandaged. We need to be healed and restored. Then - and only then - can we begin to practice the deepest compassion. Christian compassion springs from gratitude for what Christ has done for us.

Compassion does not have be dramatic. I'd like to give an example from the life of Pier Giorgio Frassati, who Pope John Paul beatified in 1990. As a youth Blessed Pier Giorgio visited Berlin. The temperature had dropped to twelve degrees below zero. Seeing an old man shivering with cold, Pier Giorgio gave him his overcoat. When his father heard about it, he was angry and chided his son. Pier Giorgio replied with humility and simplicity, "But you see, papa, it was cold."

Now, with the heat wave we are experiencing, it might seem easy to give away a coat - and perhaps it was. But that is not the point. Blessed Pier Giorgio was a young man filled with the love of Christ. He spent hours in front of the Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Although Pier Giorgio knew that only Jesus can save us, he did his best to apply Christ's teaching to the social order. For example, he joined demonstrations against the fascist movement in Italy. He also spent much time with the city's poor. To show compassion to someone suffering from the cold came natural to Blessed Pier Giorgio. As Jesus tells us, "Go, and do likewise."

**********

*This innate moral sense does not prevent us from having blind spots. Like the priest and Levite, we can take a conveniently selective approach to the commandments. Because of that, the Church has job of teaching the full moral law. For example, at the time Karl Marx was proclaiming the Communist Manifesto, the Church was defending the rights of workers, but also cautioning that respect for private property is an essential component of human dignity and freedom. When communists gained power, they condemned private property as a form of theft - and did horrendous harm to the very workers they set out to help. Something analogous is happening today. People feel compassion for a woman in a difficult pregnancy, but turn a blind eye to the new human life developing within her. Similarly, compassion for the difficulties faced by homosexuals can cause people to blur the meaning of marriage. Responding to this selective compassion, the Church teaches that we must care for the pregnant woman and her child (and the father as well). And while we defend the human dignity of the person with same sex attractions, we also defend the sanctity of marriage. This is not an easy task, but remember that the parable of the Good Samaritan was directed against those who had a restrictive view of who is ones neighbor. Like the Good Samaritan, the Church does not seek simple, quick solutions, but to respond to the concrete, suffering human person.

 

 Homily from Father Andrew M. Greeley
http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html

Background:

 Much of the traditional interpretation of this wonderful story emphasizes the generosity of the Good Samaritan and views the story as a model for the generosity of all Christians. Certainly the context in Luke suggests such an interpretation. However, some recent interpreters suggest a somewhat different reading and put the emphasis on the surprise of the injured man. The Good Samaritan is God and the injured Jew is the sinner – all of us sinners. This interpretation fits the paradigm of many other parables of Jesus: A recklessly generous God overwhelming us with the surprise of his implacable love.

 

Story:

 (It is legitimate in telling his story to reverse the team affiliation of the combatants)

  once upon a time a Cub fan and a Sox fan got in an argument during a game at the Cell. The argument was of course the fault of the sox fan. He shouted the first epithet, he knocked the Cubs cap from the other man’s head, he threw a beer can at Cub fan and hit his wife my mistake. What was the poor Cub fan to do but push the Sox fan who obviously too much of the drink had taken. one thing led to another. The ushers and the cops had to separate them and since cops at the Cell  tend to be Sox fans, they ejected the Cub fan to the taunts of “Yuppy scum go home!” The Cub fan had to watch the ninth inning at his home. Needless to say the Cub’s bull pen imploded in the ninth as it usually does. The next day, however, virtue, truth, and Sammy Sosa triumphed and the Cubs evened the series. on the following day, as the Cub fan drove out of the parking lot, flush with a series victory, the saw his adversary at a corner on State Street with a flat tire and the hood up on the car. He pulled over, and despite his wife’s admonition, helped change the tire and provide a battery charge. The two men shook hands and promised to meet again when the Red Line World Series came around.

 

 

 Homily from Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe,Pa
http://benedictine.stvincent.edu/archabbey/Weeklywords/Weeklywords.html

Gospel Summary

The lawyer in today's gospel is not to be confused with the lawyers of our day. He was a student of the Jewish Torah or Law--a word which is more properly translated as "instruction" or "revelation." Today, he would be called a theologian. And he asks the question that is primary in the mind of every theologian, namely, how do we human beings achieve the fulfillment intended by our Creator? Jesus gives the classic answer from Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18. Everything depends on our love of God and of neighbor.

Jesus moves quickly then to illustrate the practical implications of these commands in the story of the Good Samaritan. The contrast drawn is dramatic: the priest and Levite belong to the class of professional men of religion whereas the Samaritan is a descendent of that group of Jews who were left in Palestine during the Exile, who intermarried with non-Jews and whose religious "purity" was therefore highly suspect.

According to Jesus' story, however, it is this religious outcast who has understood the real meaning of the Torah while the professional practitioners of religion seem concerned only about the external, ritual elements of Judaism. As in the case of the publican and the Pharisee, Jesus is not suggesting that one should become a publican or a Samaritan. Rather, he insists that we should be authentic persons who know how to observe the spirit of our religion and not just its externals.

Life Implications

We should note, first of all, that this is only a story. The fact that it never really happened should cause us to focus on its powerful symbolic message. As such, it offers us a sharp lesson about the danger of hypocritical behavior. It is relatively easy to claim an office or a title or hold a membership card, but the only proof of one's religious sincerity and authenticity is the way in which one's religious profession actually changes one's behavior.

In this story, the new behavior is to respond to need regardless of whether we think the one in need deserves our help. Observing religious rituals or even receiving the Eucharist can unfortunately co-exist with self-centeredness and rash judgment. Real conversion demands that our following of Christ include our determination to offer help to others to the best of our ability, which usually means doing all that we think we can?�nd then a little bit more!

Such Christian behavior does not mean that we should become doormats or cater to obsessive-dependants. But it does mean that we should be sensitive to the often hidden needs of others and ready to help in any way we can. Real love will know how to do this wisely and effectively.

We should also note that, when professing Christians do not act in accordance with the ideals taught by Jesus, they scandalize others who may well reject Christianity because they are so repelled by those who proclaim themselves Christians. We all recall the challenging words of Jesus: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

 
 

 

Homily from Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our burden and privilege as Christians is to be held to the very highest standards of conduct in thought, word and deed: Christ Jesus Himself. We desire to live abundantly, that is forever, and only in Christ is found such abundant life. If we would live forever we must begin now to live in Christ and persist in this life until the end.

"The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.

After earth's exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. . . . In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself. (St. Therese, Story of a Soul) " (CCC 2011)

Christ has given us a share in his own life through death on the cross and Resurrection, and so we must be as Christs for one another and give in the same way. "To whom much is given, much is expected." To those who call themselves Christian has been given more than to anyone else in the world.

"By charity, we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God. Charity, the form of all the virtues, binds everything together in perfect harmony (Col 3:14)." (CCC 1844)

The charity of the Samaritan made him pleasing in God's eyes, though to Jews he was a heretic and an outcast, judged condemned. The priest, a leader and holy man among the Jewish people fell short in God's eyes, for he was without charity.

"Christ died out of love for us, while we were still enemies. (Romans 5:10) The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself. (Cf. Matthew 5:44; Luke 10: 27-37; Mark 9:37; Matthew 25:40, 45.)" (CCC 1825)

Why charity? To share in Gods life and love and thus be happy. Living the virtue of charity bears the fruit of divine love and a foretaste of heaven which is the state of perfect fulfillment and eternal happiness in the presence of the living God.

"The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest." (CCC 1829)

How is charity lost? God has given us free will, and therefore we must cooperate with his grace and freely choose to do His will. If we choose to break his law with sufficient reflection and full consent of the will, we loose the virtue of charity having sinned mortally. Venial sins weaken charity and can lead to mortal sin.

"Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.

Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it." (CCC 1855)

Charity is noth our greatest gift and our greatest call. St. Pauls hymn on charity mught be the most beautiful in all of Scripture.

"If I . . . have not charity," says the Apostle, "I am nothing." Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, "if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing." Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: "So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity." (CCC 1826)

We must love all, including our enemies, and must pray for them or we are without charity and therefore without God's love. Let us begin now the regular practice of prayer for our enemies as well as for those who love us that the doors of heaven may not be shut against us.

 

 

Homily from Father Alex McAllister SDS
http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/

 There are lots of different lessons that can be drawn from this wonderful story of the Good Samaritan. Margaret Thatcher famously saw this parable as an endorsement of capitalism. She is reported to have said: “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions –he had money, too.”

Leaving Margaret Thatcher aside, lets look at some of the other lessons that can be drawn from the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

We can say that the message is that we should be kind to others and help people in need. And this is certainly a valid conclusion and something no one could disagree with. The only question is whether it is really what Jesus meant. I don’t quite think so.

We might conclude that Jesus is pointing up the hypocrisy of the Priest and the Levite and draw a lesson about those who do not practice what they preach. And while this is a very good point, I’m even less sure that this is what Jesus really meant.

There are a number of other different conclusions that we could come to about this wonderful parable.

But surely what Jesus was really trying to stress was that the way to inherit eternal life is to love others, to show compassion, to have real feelings of warmth towards our fellow man and particularly to those in need.

So it is not so much what is done but why it is done. Being kind is fine but it depends on the motive. We can be kind and help people in need for a whole series of reasons: to salve our consciences, in exchange for some future favour, out of loyalty to the group, etc.

The lawyer asks what things he must “do” to inherit eternal life. Jesus changes the emphasis from doing to being—you must “be” loving. It is not what you physically do but what kind of person you are that matters.

So we must love; and, most importantly, love without reference to any human distinctions or boundaries.

This is stressed in the story by the fact that the victim of the robbers is a Jew and the helper was a Samaritan. That he was a Jew means that he was a member of a group who had ruthlessly marginalized and oppressed the Samaritans. The Jews had literally cut-off and isolated the Samaritans whom they regarded as a heretical group.

In case you think that the Samaritans were entirely innocent in the matter you can be sure that they reciprocated this bad feeling. In fact a few verses before today’s text in the Gospel reading we had two Sundays ago Jesus himself was refused hospitality by a Samaritan village.

So this Samaritan is not merely a good neighbour, he reaches out to help a man who is one of the enemy. His compassion causes him to ignore all kinds of taboos and boundaries and to go out of his way to help this man lying on the side of the road.

He has a far better excuse to avoid the traveller than the priest or the Levite but he acts in a completely spontaneous manner and responds out of love and compassion to this injured traveller.

Love thy neighbour as thyself is one of the oldest and most honourable prescriptions in the Hebrew tradition. But as the lawyer says, “Who is my neighbour?”

For the Jews ones neighbour undoubtedly meant a fellow Jew. But even working from this definition we see that the priest and the Levite weren’t very good neighbours.

The Samaritan’s definition of neighbour is much, much wider; it even includes his enemies. Jesus is telling us that if we want to inherit eternal life then our definition of who is our neighbour must be as wide as his; it must include everyone regardless of race, colour, creed or anything else.

That’s partly what Paul is saying to the Colossians: “In him were created all things in heaven and on earth.” If we love God then we must love everything and everyone he has created.

It is possible, if a bit unlikely, that we might come across a situation like that in today’s Gospel. But it is absolutely certain that we meet all kinds of people each day of our lives carrying around with them all kinds of hidden hurts—wounds that need healing.

We meet people each day who yearn to be shown compassion and love. We often walk by on the other side because we don’t know them. Or because they’re too posh or not posh enough.

We think of a thousand reasons not to reach out a hand in friendship. The number of possible barriers that there might be between us and other people are too many to count.

But this is not because we are hypocrites or deeply selfish human beings. It is because we haven’t fully become the kind of people Jesus wants us to be.

We haven’t yet become as loving and caring and compassionate as that Good Samaritan.

We haven’t yet become like that Good Samaritan—but we are learning!

 
 

 

 by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.

 Cincinnati, my hometown, is a city of neighborhoods. Cincinnatians will tell you that they’re from Clifton or Hyde Park or Delhi or Over-the-Rhine. We think locally, proud of the different neighborhoods we come from.

Today, we hear in the Gospel the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. The key question is: Who is my neighbor? When the Jewish audience first heard this parable, there must have been shock: Jesus says a Samaritan—a member of a group the Jews shunned—was neighbor to the man in trouble, because he showed mercy. This story fits into one of Luke's special Gospel themes—the welcoming of the strangers, the outcast, the poor, into the circle of God's Kingdom. Luke's missionary community must have faced a special challenge to welcome people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

Perhaps this is a good Sunday to examine our parish's hospitality and welcoming attitude. Who is my neighbor? is an important question for every Christian community. Though we may take pride in the history and traditions of our parish, we cannot exclude strangers or newcomers. Rather, we must recognize Christ in the stranger, as we heed Jesus' command to "Go and do likewise."