XV Sunday in OT: [C]; Deut30:10-14;Col1:15-20;Lk10:25-37

XV Sunday in OT: [C]; Deut30:10-14;Col1:15-20;Lk10:25-37

Introduction: The lawyer, a Scribe, in today's gospel is not to be confused with the lawyers of our day. He was a student of the Torah--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 Deuteronomy: 6:5 (love of God) and Leviticus: 19:18 (love of neighbor). Everything else is secondary.

Exegesis: However, to the scribe, the word “neighbor” meant another Scribe or Pharisee – never a Samaritan or a Gentile. Hence, the Scribe insisted on a clarification of the word “neighbor.” So Jesus told him the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable clearly indicates that a “neighbor” is anyone who needs help. Thus, the correct approach is not to ask the question “Who is my neighbor?” but rather to ask, “Am I a good neighbor to others?”

The Golden Rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) which we hear in today’s gospel is not just a Christian thing. Every conceivable religion and culture in the world has the Golden Rule in one form or another. Here is a sampling:  Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the law: all the rest is commentary.”  Islam: “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”   Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.”   Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”   Confucianism: “Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”     Though this golden rule was popular, Jesus brought a completely new understanding to the commandment.

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 member of that generally despised and uneducated group of Jews who were left in Palestine during the Exile and whose religious "purity" was highly suspect.

According to the 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.

Joke:  A little boy returned home from Sunday School, and his mother asked him what lesson the teacher taught. He said, "It was about two preachers who saw a man in a ditch, but they didn't stop because he had already been robbed."

Life messages: 1) Know the spirit of showing mercy towards others.  And exercise it without conditions or motives. Check ourselves and see if we are good neighbors. 2) We may find our spouse, children or parents lying “wounded” by bitter words or scathing criticism or by other more blatant forms of verbal, emotional or physical abuse. Hence, Jesus invites us to show our love to others, in our own home, in school, in the work place, and in the neighborhood, as the Good Samaritan did. 3) Let us accept the invitation to be loving and merciful to our enemies.   This means people we hate, as well as those who hate us.  It is an invitation for people of all times to love their enemies--to love those they have previously hated.

Introduction: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: The great commandment of love is not something “mysterious” or “remote.”  Indeed, it is “very near” to us.  Yet how difficult it is to fulfill, being neighbor to whomever is in need.  But if we seek God, we must “go and do the same”, for we have been created in, for, and through Christ.

Saints and events in this week: 15-Monday-Saint Bonaventure, bishop, doctor of the church; 16-Tuesday- Our Lady of Mount Carmel; 18-Thursday-Saint Camillus de Lellis, priest, from USA ; 20-Saturday-Saint Apollinaris, bishop, martyr.