Introduction: May you continue to grow in knowledge of the GOD Who is Love and may that empower you to share that love (Who is GOD) with others.
When you reflect on your life, what are some of the key points or experiences that have helped form you into the person you are today? Most people would recall a time in their lives when they were touched by their relationship with one or more people. It may have been something that a parent or other relative did that made them feel truly loved. It might be the development and celebration of a relationship with a significant other, including their marriage ceremony (and all that led up to and flowed from that ceremony). It might be the birth of a child and the experience of that new life. Others may recall a special family celebration: a particular Christmas, birthday, or other holiday. For most of us, our key moments involve experiencing the love of another person or our loving another person. That should remind us that what is essential in life is loving and being in relationship with others.
Some people may have answered the question about the key experiences of their lives by speaking of a “GOD moment.” It, too, focuses on relationship and love – the relationship with GOD and the divine love experienced at that moment.
We cannot always force key experiences to happen. We can, however, be open to them and pray that we are aware of the time when we are touched by a loving relationship with others, with ourselves, and, most importantly, with GOD.
We see an apparent dichotomy between the awesome mysteriousness of GOD and the call to “know” what GOD wants for us. The First Reading reminds us that even though GOD is almighty and totally other, GOD can be “known” from what GOD has revealed and commanded. The Responsorial urges us to simply turn to the LORD GOD, and we will live. St. Paul, in his Letter to the Colossians, presents Jesus as the visible and knowable image of the invisible GOD. In the Gospel, Jesus is asked about who can be defined as the neighbor whom we are called to love as much as we love ourselves. In sharing the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan, He informs His questioner (and us) that everyone, even our enemy, is our neighbor.
First Reading: Deut 30:10-14; ‘The word is very near you, so that you can do it.’
Commentary: The Book of Deuteronomy consists of four great discourses on the Law. This lovely passage concludes the last discourse, after which the death of Moses is recounted. It encourages people to observe the Law. The Law is not obscure, or difficult, or far away. They do not need to travel far or search deeply. The author is saying that it is Israel’s natural inheritance, and is natural for them to observe, almost – as we would say – second nature. The Law was for Israel God’s most precious gift, a revelation of the divine nature and the divine ways to the world, so a source of light and life. It revealed how Israel must behave in order to be God’s faithful people. So, observance of the Law was not a tiresome obligation but a response in love to this gift made in love. For Christians, the Law is brought to perfection in the incarnate Word of God, who is the perfect revelation of the Father, and is the Way, the Truth, and Life. Israel saw the revelation of God’s will, and so of his nature, in the Law; Christians similarly see the full revelation of the glory of God in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial Psalm 69:14, 17. 30-31. 33-34. 36ab, 37; Seek God, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive.
The psalmist begins today’s Responsorial with a prayer of petition, asking for GOD’s help during a time of crisis. Relying on the great kindness of the LORD, the psalmist urges not only himself, but all those who need GOD’s help, to trust in the promises GOD has made to take care of those who have been called by GOD. It is in turning to the LORD in times of trouble that GOD will answer and respond. It is in the expression of one’s relationship with GOD that the LORD demonstrates what relationship is all about.
Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20; All things were created through him and for him.’
Commentary: This is a hymn to the preeminence of Christ. It falls into two stanzas, the first his preeminence as firstborn in creation, the second his preeminence as firstborn from the dead. As first-born in creation, he is the image of the invisible God, in whom all is created, just as, in the Book of Wisdom, Wisdom is called the image of God, the reflection of the eternal light, and the mirror of God’s active power. In Wisdom, in Christ, God can be seen. In the second stanza, as firstborn from the dead, Christ brings all things to perfection and completion. The hymn is a sort of parabola, starting with God in creation, descending to Christ as Lord of the Church, and returning with Christ to completion in God. In the two closely related letters, Colossians and Ephesians, the author is concerned to define Christ’s superiority to the so-called spirits of this world, ‘thrones, dominions, rulers and powers’, which must have been revered in that region of Asia Minor.
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37; ‘Who is my neighbour?’
Commentary: To many a Jew at the time of Jesus, the character of the Samaritans was such that a Good Samaritan was a contradiction in terms. It is striking that Luke changes the dialogue about the two commandments. In Mark’s and Matthew’s accounts, Jesus answers the question about the commandments, while in Luke Jesus challenges the questioner, who then himself gives the right answer. The mugging is depicted in the Wadi Qilt, a ravine running down from Anathoth, just north of Jerusalem, to Jericho. Its twists and turns give it ideal opportunities for ambush, and it is still occupied by (comparatively friendly) bandits.
It is also striking that, in the lawyer’s reply at the very end, despite Jesus’ praise of the rescuer, he cannot bring himself to pronounce the hated name, ‘Samaritan’, and says ‘the one who…’. The dry humour of the story consists in the conscientious dilemma of the priest and the Levite. If the huddled traveller turns out to be dead, they will incur corpse-defilement and be unable to perform their sacred duties! This legal dilemma makes the Samaritan’s attentive generosity all the more poignant, for a Samaritan is free of any such hang-ups. Love shown to the unfortunate and the downtrodden is always a major theme for Luke. But note also the Samaritan’s careful administration of his funds: he gives not a blank cheque but two days’ wages, which he will supplement on his return if necessary!
Reflection: 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 their 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 that 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 extend 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 Jericho. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers, who could easily ambush their victims and escape into the hills. No one in their 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 for helping others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or empathizing 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 empathizes with the one who is in pain but also 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 fullness 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.
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 so that we may completely enjoy him. (excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33)
near-miss?
“It is something very near to you.” —Deut. 30:14. The priest and Levite both “saw” the wounded victim but didn’t want to get near him to avoid becoming ritually impure (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 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. “The Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not.” —Ps 69:34. Praise You, Jesus, resurrected, ascended, and glorified. You sit at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us (Rm 8:34). Alleluia!
The personal action for today: When I contemplate the mystery of GOD, do I struggle to understand and solve the mystery, or am I content to just live the awesomeness of the mystery of love? How have I experienced the “knowledge” of GOD? What can I do to share this “knowledge” with others? Who is most in need of my love today? This week?
*Saint Henry: As German king and Holy Roman Emperor, Henry was a practical man of affairs. He was energetic in consolidating his rule. He crushed rebellions and feuds. On all sides, he had to deal with drawn-out disputes to protect his frontiers. This involved him in several battles, especially in the south in Italy; he also helped Pope Benedict VIII quell disturbances in Rome. His ultimate purpose was to establish a stable peace in Europe.
According to eleventh-century custom, Henry took advantage of his position and appointed as bishops men loyal to him. In his case, however, he avoided the pitfalls of this practice and actually fostered the reform of ecclesiastical and monastic life. He was canonized in 1146.
All in all, this saint was a man of his times. From our
standpoint, he may have been too quick to do battle and too ready to use power
to accomplish reforms. But granted such limitations, he shows that holiness is
possible in a busy secular life. It is in doing our job that we become saints.
