2019년 7월 14일 연중 제15주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
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 14, 2019
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
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."
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
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.
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.
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."
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«A Samaritan was moved with compassion. He went over to him and treated his wounds. Then he put him on his own mount...»
Fr. Llucià POU i Sabater
(Granada, Spain)
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.
http:/onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
In the context of today’s Gospel reading it is instructional to try to understand the perspective of Jews in the time of Jesus. The conversation that Jesus has with a “scholar of the law” is suggestive of a lawyer well versed in the details of the law and Jewish tradition. To a first century Jewish audience, particularly to a scholar of the law, Samaritans were despised and considered “others” to be avoided.
When the lawyer asks “what must I do to inherit eternal life” Jesus confirmed that loving the Lord wholeheartedly and loving your neighbors (the law) was the path to salvation. But in answering the lawyer’s question “who is my neighbor” Jesus adjusts our perspective not just to see the perspective of the victim of robbers but also to the “other”-- the Samaritan. Seeing the Samaritan in this light was an admonition to the lawyer to be open to recognize even those we have stark and difficult conflicts with as our neighbors—in addition to those who are more obviously in distress.
It is also informative that when asked among the Levite, priest and Samaritan who was a neighbor to the man who was robbed the lawyer does not say the “Samaritan” but instead “the one who showed him mercy”. Perhaps it is because the Jews considered the Samaritans the unclean ones for the north that he would not name the Samaritan as such—but the lawyer cannot deny that Jesus named the “other” as the Good one in the parable.
The answer “the one who showed mercy” was well accepted by Jesus for His response was “Go and do likewise”. There is a symmetry to the original question “what must I do to inherit eternal life” and the admonition to “Go and do likewise”. In the final analysis the answer is about mercy.
Mercy is about more than forgiving a debt or a slight. It is about kindness, strength, generosity and pardon. Mercy is a word at the heart of many of our prayers and petitions and it is our intercession before God when call upon His steadfast love and support.
Still many times we struggle with the question of who is our neighbor. The answer lies very close to us if we only center ourselves to listen. In Deuteronomy, Moses encourages us not to look too far for God’s commands to us for it is not mysterious, in the sky or across the sea but something already in our mouths and hearts—it we only listen and carry it out.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
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, 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). | ||
| 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 | ||
| Praise: Praise You, Jesus, resurrected, ascended, and glorified! You sit at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"Go and do likewise"
If God is all-loving and compassionate, then why is there so much suffering and evil in this world? Many agnostics refuse to believe in God because of this seemingly imponderable problem. If God is love then evil and suffering must be eliminated in all its forms. What is God's answer to this human dilemma? Jesus' parable about a highway robbery gives us a helpful hint. Jesus told this dramatic story in response to a devout Jew who wanted to understand how to apply God's great commandment of love to his everyday life circumstances. In so many words this religious-minded Jew said: "I want to love God as best as I can and I want to love my neighbor as well. But how do I know that I am fulfilling my duty to love my neighbor as myself?"
Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards their neighbor. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbor". He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went far beyond his narrow definition.
God's love and mercy extends to all
Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards every fellow human being. Jesus' story of a brutal highway robbery was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow winding valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Many wealthy Jews from Jerusalem 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 through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to travel with others for protection and defense.
Our prejudice gets in the way of mercy
So why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a half-dead victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they recognize 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 was the real neighbor who showed brotherly 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.
God expects us to be merciful as he is merciful
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 or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or emphathizing with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. 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.
Jesus not only taught God's way of love, but he showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore us to wholeness of life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross. His death brought us freedom from slavery to sin and the promise of everlasting life with God. He willingly shared in our suffering to bring us to the source of true healing and freedom from sin and oppression. True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration.
The cross shows us God's perfect love and forgiveness
Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. His suffering is redemptive because it brings us healing and restoration and the fulness of eternal life. God offers us true freedom from every form of oppression, sin, and suffering. And that way is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to embrace the cross of Christ, to suffer for his sake, and to lay down your life out of love for your neighbor?
"Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake."
Psalm 69:13-16, 29-30,32-36
13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me. With your faithful help
14 rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
29 But I am afflicted and in pain; let your 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.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: God desires to be our neighbor, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God our Lord wished to be called our neighbor. The Lord Jesus Christ meant that he was the one who gave help to the man lying half-dead on the road, beaten and left by the robbers. The prophet said in prayer, 'As a neighbor and as one's own brother, so did I please' (Psalm 34:14 ). Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature, the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of our neighbor. He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God's goodness. He has compassion on us so that we may enjoy him completely, while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy him. (excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33)
http://www.homilies.net/
15 Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C
Luke 10, 25-37
"Food baskets at Christmas, toys at Christmas," writes a bishop, "are good as far as they go, but they don't go very far."
The parable of the Good Samaritan has lost its original impact. It was carefully crafted by the Christ to upset its audience and to challenge its listeners. Our Leader was arguably the best needler in the business. He was a Dr Feelgood only to those who found themselves in some kind of trouble.
Why don't we attempt to robe this famous parable in contemporary dress? A man from New York City decided to spend a few days of R & R in a posh inn in Westchester. He picked up a harmless looking hitchhiker. That gentleman stabbed him. Then the mugger drove off in his car after leaving his benefactor on the side of the road.
I passed by. I was rushing to say the 10 AM Mass in Scarsdale. I saw the man frantically waving me down. I wanted to stop, but I was running late. I said a short prayer for the man, threw him a quick blessing, and gassed my car.
The next person to pass was a nun. She was rushing to Boston to give a talk at a convention for the homeless. Her talk was only half completed. Anyhow she knew a state trooper would find the poor wretch in short order. She moved on after devoutly reciting a Hail Mary and Our Father.
The next one to see the poor fellow now bleeding badly was your honorable self. You were rushing with your family to your weekend home in Rhode Island. You chose not to get involved. You realized that it might take you hours to prove to the cops that you were not the attacker. You resolved to send an angry letter to the governor to get more state troopers on the highways - especially, the ones you drive on. Besides, the air conditioner was not working in your car. And you were anxious to get out of your wet clothes and jump into a dry martini.
Then comes a black truck driver. He was running hours late. His rig was loaded with perishables. As soon as he spotted the wounded man, he pulled his 18 wheeler up on the grass. He got out his first aid kit, tied some tourniquets to stop the blood, and drove the fellow to the nearest hospital.
The officious nurse demanded the unconscious man's Major Medical and Social Security cards. The sweating driver, carrying the driver, said, "His ID was stolen. If he can't pay, I will pay on the return trip. Just show me where I sign. I've got to get moving."
In its new clothing as the Parable of the Good African-American, one better appreciates the power and force of the tale the first time around. All of us - priests, nuns, and you - are supposed to feel put upon. And, if we work according to the plan of Jesus, we will change our priorities. We will become participants with people in trouble and cease being merely onlookers. Christ is saying to us, "Stop talking. Just do it." Christianity is not a spectator sport.
But this is only the small picture. We must also be concerned with that famous big picture that everyone talks about. In the United States, millions are being deprived as I speak. one out of four of our children live in poverty. Can you imagine the rage we would feel if 25% of us were unemployed? Tonight 100,000 homeless kids will have to find a place to sleep. Thirty million of our fellow citizens are illiterate. About thirty five million have no health insurance. Another sixty million are underinsured.
Michael Parenti in Democracy for the Few advises us of the other half of the picture. "Approximately 1.6 percent of the (US) population own 80 percent of all capital stock, 100 percent of all state and municipal bonds, and 88.% percent of all corporate bonds."
Dr Martin Luther King, Jr advises wisely that our society does need restructuring. And each of us should be pushing the burden up the hill and make sure it gets down the other side. Again our bishop speaks, "Direct assistance is good. Tackling the causes is better."
Let's do get hopping on this crusade as soon as possible. But, as the Lord would remind each of us with no trace of a smile, let's begin first by changing the person whom we admire with such delight in our bathroom mirror each morning.
Frjoeshomilies.net
15 Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Sunday: The Good Samaritan Next Door
The three ladies had been friends since high school. They all grew up in the same Church and were pretty active as Teens. Eleanor married Fred and had three children, one was still in college, the other two were on their own. Sally married Tom. Their two were in high school. Phyllis married Sam. They had two in college and one in the service. Eleanor and Fred, Sally and Tom, and Phyllis and Sam; they remained friends....to a degree. Time and children kept them busy. Sally and Tom, particularly, weren't around all that much. The other two couples remained very close. All three families went to the same Church, but Sally and her family were not as involved as Eleanor's and Phyllis'. Sally never had the time. Eleanor and Phyllis were concerned. They wondered if she and her family were even coming to Mass regularly. They didn't want to confront her, but they did pray for her and Tom to return to a more fervent practice of the faith.
And then Fred, Eleanor's husband, became ill. He came home from work, got out of his car, and passed out. It was a brain tumor. The doctors said that it was inoperable. The only hope was chemotherapy, but the chances of that working were slim. Naturally, all of their friends were concerned, including Phyllis and Sam, Sally and Tom. But as the months wore on, Eleanor noticed something. Because she had to stay home with Fred, she saw less and less of Phyllis. And she never saw Sam anymore. But Sally and Tom were always there in her home. Tom made it a point to stop by every evening and jaw with Fred, maybe watch some sports together, just be buds. Sally was always showing up when Eleanor needed her, even when she didn't ask her to come by. When hospice said that they would send in a respite care volunteer, Eleanor thanked them but replied that her friends Sally and Tom made sure she had a break every day. A passing thought came to Eleanor that she wished she could have said the same about Phyllis and Sam.
The sickness ran its course, and Fred passed away. After the funeral, after the first months of intense grief, Eleanor started thinking about what she had experienced with her friends. It was then that she started praying for Phyllis and Sam's conversion.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable of living the Law of the Lord. That is how the parable begins. That is what the scholar of the Law asked Jesus to comment on. First he asked him what he had to do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him what the Law said, the scholar quoted Deuteronomy and Leviticus, "Love the Lord with your whole heart, and being, and strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself." The parable comes after the scholar asked who was a neighbor.
We all know the parable very well, perhaps too well. We know it so well that we forget that it is pointed towards us. The parable is about living the Way of Jesus, the Law of Love. The Samaritan's were seen by the Jews as outside of the Law. They had intermarried with pagans. Their practice of the Jewish faith was not as pure as the Jews. They didn't travel to Jerusalem for the festivals, believing that they could worship God in other places. To the Jews, Samaritans were sinners because they were not as fervent in their faith as the Jews were. The Jews were like Eleanor and Fred, and Phyllis and Tom, who were all certain that they were following the Way of the Lord. The Samaritans were like Sally and Tom, who did not appear as fervent.
The Good Samaritan knew when God called him into action. He knew that he could not be a follower of the Lord and walk by that man who needed his help. Sure the Levite and the Temple priest should have gone into action. Supposedly, they were the strong followers of God. But that wasn't an argument for the Samaritan to ignore the man on the side of the road. He did what the Law of God demanded that he do. And sure Sally and Tom could have said that Eleanor's other, fervent friends, particularly Phyllis and Sam, should be changing their lives to help care for Fred, but that wasn't an argument for their not fulfilling what the Law of Love was demanding of them.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is real in our lives. It is present whenever we are confronted with demands on our time and resources to care for someone who needs us. It is particularly present whenever we are tempted to hide behind worship as a justification for refusing to answer the call to charity. "I am really busy at Church," we say, "God certainly doesn't expect more of me." But He does.
In Jeremiah 31:33 we hear the prophesy, "My law will be written upon their hearts." We know when we are being called to fulfill the Law of the Lord. We know that Jesus identifies with those who are hurting. There is no excuse, no justification, for our walking by those who need our help, who need His Love.
Your son, your daughter needs extra time. He or she is going through a challenging time, perhaps even a time of crisis. You are emotionally sapped when you try to point him or her in the right direction. But you go to Church. You've been good parents. So why should you have to keep parenting even when the children should be old enough to know what they should do? And so, you walk by the one on the side of the road, the one who actually lived or even lives in your own house.
Or perhaps on the opposite side, you feel you didn't do all you should have done to instill the faith in your children. You didn't put up as much of a fight as you should have when children announced that since they were confirmed, they wouldn't be going to Church anymore. You could have done better in other areas of instilling the faith, but you didn't. Still, when your children need you, even when they don't realize their need, they can always count on your support, encouragement and love. Maybe most of us here have been Good Samaritans, yes we could have been better at fulfilling prescripts, but we have actively practiced what is at the heart of the Law, Christian love.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is far more than a pleasant biblical story told by Jesus Himself. The parable is an answer to the question: What must I do to inherit eternal life?
We have only to look into our hearts. We know what we must do.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
15 Ordinary Time
Pride Talks, Humility Walks
Bottom line: Jesus teaches how to overcome pride: by looking for a way to praise even our opponents - and by practical humility.
Recently I heard some good news about St. Mary of the Valley: Of the 170 plus parishes of our archdiocese in terms of marriages we are number five. Considering we are actually smaller than the average parish that is pretty good. Of course when I heard we are number five, I thought to myself, "I'd like to be number one!"
This does relate to the theme of my homily but before stating the theme, let's look at today's Gospel. Jesus, you remember, is on the road to Jerusalem. He encounters some interesting people and gives powerful teaching. Today a scholar of the law - a scribe - approaches Jesus. In the Gospels scribes are uniformly negative. Why? Well, their learning rather than bringing them close to God and the people, they use their knowledge to look down on others. Remember the definition of pride last week: "that smug feeling of superiority, thinking that other people are stupid in comparison to me."
Now, I was being a little playful about wanting to be number one in marriages, but I will admit there's plenty of pride in me. I can start obsessing on how I'm doing in relation to other priests. Instead of simply doing my job best I can and leaving the rest to the Lord, I feel this weird sense of competition.
We can see something similar in relation to money. We want money to take care of basic needs and to help others. Money, however, can become a source pride and superiority. Back in the 1940's C.S. Lewis wrote: "What is it that makes a man with $10,000 a year anxious to get $20,000 a year? It is not the greed for more pleasure. $10,000 will give all the luxuries that any man can really enjoy. It is Pride - the wish to be richer than some other rich man, and (still more) the wish for power."Ten thousand could buy a lot more in 1940 than today so you get the idea.
It's true that pride can motivate a person to work hard, strive for excellence and benefit others. Still pride can become destructive. Again, C.S. Lewis.: "each person's pride is in competition with every one else's pride." Pride often leads to put downs, bullying and even violence.
In today's Gospel the scholar of the law - the scribe - embodies pride. He studied hard, for sure, and he has knowledge which could greatly help others. Instead he uses his knowledge to show himself superior, more clever than anyone else - including Jesus.
Big mistake. Jesus has no need to prove anything so to the scribe's question, Jesus responds with a question: You ask what to do to inherit life, well, tell me, what is written in the law? The scribe quotes the commands about love: love of God and love of neighbor. When Jesus tells him then to do it, the scribe wants to justify himself. So he asks, who is my neighbor?
Here's where it gets interesting. Jesus offers a parable for overcoming pride. It begins with disaster overtaking a man journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem, Mount Zion, is the high point, Jericho the low point, over 3000 feet lower than Jerusalem. It would be like the descent from Snoqualmie Pass to Seattle. In the Bible Jericho represents the world, the fallen world. on that road to Jericho robbers attack the unfortunate man. They steal his possession including all his clothes. They beat him so badly he appears dead.
A priest and levite come by. Like the scribe they know the law. They can talk about love of neighbor. Yet they are reluctant to investigate if the man is dead or not. Besides they have important things to do. They may have plans to reform their nation.
Then comes a Samaritan. Remember Jesus had just passed through Samaria. He had personally felt the hostility between Samaritans and Jews. To speak favorably about a Samaritan would be like a Democrat praising a Republican - or vice versa. Jesus portrays the Samaritan as someone with practical humility. To care for the unfortunate man, the Samaritan uses his own resources: oil, wine and mule. He uses his own money and time. He gets help from others - in this case the innkeeper. And he promises follow up. That's practical humility. Pride talks; humility walks. Someone said that Leo Moore didn't did just talk the talk, he walked the walk. Pride talks, humility walks.
Now, we're not done with pride. Next week we will see two sisters, both beautiful and good. Jesus, however, will gently chide one of the sisters for getting too involved in herself and what she is doing - rather than see the big picture.
For today I ask you take this home: The word pride can have a good sense: we can take pride in others by genuinely admiring them. Still we must recognize that pride in the sense of smug superiority can do damage. It sets people against each other. Jesus teaches how to overcome pride: by looking for a way to praise even our opponents - and by practical humility. That means sharing resources and time, by getting others involved and following up. To put it simply: Pride talks, humility walks. Amen.
Alexmcallister.co.uk
15 Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today for our Gospel reading we are given the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus tells the young man who inquires how he might be justified that he should love God and his neighbour. I don't know if he was trying to be smart or what but the young man asks, 'Who is my neighbour?' This gives Jesus the opportunity to tell the parable about the Good Samaritan.
This parable is unique to the Gospel of Luke and it is most interesting. The man is beaten up and robbed by brigands. We are not told that he was a Jew but it is a fair presumption that he was and so we would expect that his co-religionists would help him especially given the fact that both the priest and the Levite had religious functions.
The Levites were, of course, from the tribe of Levi and they were given certain duties in the Temple such as singing, supporting the liturgy, acting as guards and performing other duties. As a result, they were financially supported by other Jews who were obliged to give them a tithe. The priests were also Levites but ones who were directly descended from the very first priest, Aaron. Their task was to perform the sacrifices in the Temple. Although their liturgical function died out with the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in AD70 they are still around. You can identify them because today they all have the surname Cohen.
It is interesting to note that both the man who was attacked as well as the priest and the Levite were going down from the city of Jerusalem which you will know was at the top of a long hill. The priest and the Levite had therefore completed their period of duty in the Temple and were returning home. one would ordinarily assume that after serving God in the Temple which necessarily involved prayer they would be in the right frame of mind to help their fellow man but seemingly this is not necessarily so.
I used to be parish priest in a Church with a car park. As there were many masses the car park was often crowded with vehicles going in and out. Frequently parishioners got blocked in by other thoughtless drivers and often got very irate, sometimes expressing their annoyance in quite inappropriate ways. I would have thought that spending an hour at mass and in prayer ought to have made them a bit more understanding, but clearly this was not always the case.
We need to be on our guard against this sort of thing. Coming to mass ought to make us better people. It should make us more patient and understanding. We should leave the Church thinking better of our fellow man. We ought to leave Church as politer and kinder and gentler human beings. The same goes for those thoughtless parkers who blocked the other people in. They ought to have realised the consequences of their inconsiderateness.
In his parable Jesus stresses that the man who was filled with care and concern for the injured man was a Samaritan. The Jews regarded the Samaritans as a heretical sect. The rift between these two groups arose at the time of the Babylonian Captivity. The Samaritans who were descended from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh were not taken into captivity and claim that they preserved the ancient religion of Israel. The rest of the Jews who were taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar were forced to adapt their religion to their new circumstances. After seventy years when they returned to Israel they found that they had little in common with the Samaritans and shunned them.
As is often the case, when two groups are very closely related there can be intense hatred between them. Ironically, the Jews were probably less hostile towards out-and-out pagans than they were to their Samaritan brothers. So, by telling the young man that it was a Samaritan who helped the poor victim Jesus was making a very strong point. Interestingly, Jesus gives no further explanation. He just asks who was the better neighbour and the young man answers that it was the one who took pity on him. Then without saying another word Jesus moves on to the house of Martha and Mary. He leaves the young man to reflect on the parable and to make his own decisions as to how to conduct his life.
The true Christian is someone who is always looking out for his neighbour. But we have to be careful here, we ought not to overcrowd our neighbours or place heavy expectations on them. We ought to be charitable and kind but still leave them plenty of space and the freedom to make their own choices. There is a type of kindness that can be stifling and we ought to be on our guard against anything like that. We need to respect the autonomy of others and show them a healthy respect. Anything that is condescending or patronising is inappropriate.
There are a lot of people who do a lot to support charities; maybe they give to Aid Agencies or to the blind or to cancer research or the Lifeboats. Maybe they give a few hours of their time to work in a charity shop or something similar. And this is very good but the only problem is that it at one remove. We are working through intermediaries, through agencies or organisations who are doing the direct help.
It is no good signing a banker's order for £10 a month to some charity if you ignore the actual needs of real people on your own doorstep. We have to be very careful though when we decide to help other people directly because although they may not be well-off, they still have their own pride and often don't want to be seen as a charity case. Often what people need is not money but kindness and practical assistance. An old lady might need someone to help her with her shopping. Someone else might just need cheering up. A big family might need someone to listen to the children reading. The school might need someone to give practical assistance in lessons or with fundraising.
The Good Samaritan bandaged the poor man's wounds and got him to an inn where he could be looked after. The Good Samaritan realised that we are all connected and that if I help you today you will most likely need to help me the day after or at some more distant point in the future. What is needed is care and concern, what is needed is goodness and kindness, what is needed is a true and authentic love for our fellow human beings.
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July 10, 2016 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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