[The Book of Deuteronomy portrays the people of Israel ready to enter the promised land, and they need to learn what God requires of them. The text today is near the end of 3 ‘sermons’ by Moses to them on how they should live. The key to the good life is neither mysterious nor remote, he says, God’s word lives in the hearts and minds of the people. We have only to carry it out]
Moses said to the people: Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping
those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this
Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and
soul.
For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or
beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, who
will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear
it and keep it? Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder,
who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may
hear it and keep it? No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your
mouth and in your heart for your observance.
[We will be listening to Colossians for the next 4 Sundays. The city of Colossae had many cults and religions. Paul teaches that reconciliation is at the core of Christian life and the purpose of creation. Jesus reconciled all to himself by his death on the cross]
Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all
creation,
for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers -
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body, he is its head.
As he is the Beginning, he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace by his death on the cross.
[St Luke is a wonderful story teller (Annunciation/ birth of our lord/ Prodigal Son, good Samaritan etc) When reading the stories always note the context as well as noticing what is said in the story. Today’s story arose because a lawyer tries to embarrass Jesus. Jesus tosses the question back, and then the lawyer asks “who is my neighbour?” this was a much discussed problem. For the Pharisees, it excluded all non-Pharisees, but even the most liberal would have said the term was limited to Jews. For Jesus, neighbour is not defined in terms of nationality, religion or race – but need]
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him,
'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What
is written in the Law? What do you read there?' He replied, 'You must
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all
your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.'
'You have answered right,' said Jesus. 'Do this and life is yours.'
But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who
is my neighbour?' Jesus replied, 'A man was once on his way down from
Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all
he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest
happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man,
he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the
place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan
traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him.
He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He
then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked
after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the
innkeeper. "Look after him," he said, "and on my way back I will make
good any extra expense you have." Which of these three, do you think,
proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands'
hands?' 'The one who took pity on him,' he replied. Jesus said to him,
'Go, and do the same yourself.'
A
1. What word or phrase stands out for you? Why?
2. With whom in the readings do you most identify? Why
3. Do you feel attracted to anything in today’s readings? Do you feel
resistant to anything? Do you know why?
4. In what way do these readings affirm you?
5. In what way do these readings challenge you?
6. What can you do to respond to this challenge?
B
1. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan which of the characters do you
identify with? Explain
2. Speak of a time when you felt second best or excluded. Who was or who
was not a Good Samaritan to you?
3. When has a person you least expected come to your help?
4. Do you think this parable speaks to us in any way about 3rd world
debt/ Fair-trade etc?
5. Who or when do you find it easy to pass by? Why?
6. How does this gospel challenge you/ the parish/ the Church?
One night, a priest was walking the public beats, looking for sex.
Not for him a life of celibacy. By the time he reached the age of 40, he
had identified himself as homosexual. It was a few years later that he
found the courage to go to a sauna. That’s where he found relief for his
loneliness.
Tonight the danger of these ventures caught up with him. Hooligans beat
him up, took his wallet, and left him unconscious in the gutter.
The first person to pass by was another priest. He too frequented the
night-spots for the same reason, but after recognising his confrere, he
angled across the other side. The priest did not want to attract
attention. So he left the scene, throwing the wounded man a quick
prayer.
The next one to see him lying there was a businessman, an upright
citizen, and regular churchgoer, who sometimes came to the area to talk
on the quiet with colleagues. He felt sorry for the man so he rang for
an ambulance. When they asked him his name, he hung up. He didn’t really
want to get involved. He considered he had done his duty and moved on.
Soon after, a prostitute came upon the wounded man. He had seen him
before and knew what he represented. As a lapsed Catholic, he felt the
memories of oppression sweep over him: the homophobic priest who boxed
his ears for being honest, encyclicals labelling him as ‘objectively
disordered,’ and his seeking love ‘intrinsically evil’- all part of the
complete rejection that had led him to the streets to trade his body for
the acceptance he had never experienced at home.
Yet when the prostitute saw the priest’s condition his heart went out to
him, for he knew what it was like to suffer. He gave him first aid as
best he could, then flagged down a taxi and took him to the hospital.
An officious nurse demanded the unconscious man’s medical and social
security cards. The concerned prostitute could only say, ‘His wallet and
I.D. have been stolen. I will come in the morning and pay his bill. Just
show me where to sign.
Two thousand years ago a lawyer asked, ‘Who is my neighbour?’, Jesus
responded in a way that was explosive and offensive. Why? When Jesus
told the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he was speaking to people who
saw themselves as especially privileged and righteous before God. In
contrast, the Samaritans were regarded as godless and inferior. So in
making a Samaritan the story’s hero, Jesus did something deliberate and
unthinkable. He carefully crafted this master story to upset his
audience and challenge his listeners.
In making people uncomfortable, Jesus surely hoped to jolt them into
taking responsibility for those whom God puts in their way. That demands
a love that engenders care, respect, and regard for our neighbour
whoever that might be. So when people are in trouble, gospel values urge
us not to remain spectators, looking on from a safe distance…
…Our challenge, then, is to recognise who we are in the Parable of the
Good Prostitute….
Reflect prayerfully on these words from scripture: “We love because he first
loved us. Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are
liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot
love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this:
those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” [1 John 4:19-21]
“God …all things to be reconciled through him and for him” (Reading 2) Pray for
reconciliation where needed ion our world, and that you, your parish, our Church
will be a sign of reconciliation.
Pray for the gift of compassion