“SEEDS OF LIFE”
Sunday, 10th July 2016.
Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Dt 30: 10-14;
Ps 69: 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37;
Col 1: 15-20;
Lk 10: 25-37.
THE GOOD NEIGHBOR!
Today we have one of the most famous Gospel stories, the “Good Samaritan”. There are four people in the story:
1. A Jewish priest, a religious man serving in the Temple,
2. A Levite, also a religious person,
3.A Samaritan, a traveler regarded by devout Jews as outsiders, people not to be seen in company with, and
4. An unknown man, beaten up by robbers on the roadside, presumably a Jew.
Today Jesus tells us a story which stands as a paradox to the Jewish purification laws and Human love and concern. It also stands as a paradox to our present ‘throw away’ culture, if it is not you, if it is not beneficial throw it or move away from it.
The priest and the Levite might have been on the way to the Temple. They could not risk coming in contact with the injured man who was almost certainly bleeding. Contact with blood would render them “unclean” and keep them out of the Temple and their worshiping of God there. But the Samaritan who was on some business, stops from his priority task and stops and tends the injured person.
In our present day, we too are either one of the three persons. Today we see people instead of helping the injured person, take selfies, videos to post on social media. We justify, somebody must have called the ambulance. Just ask yourself, how many times did you stop when somebody else was in trouble: May it be a victim of an accident, a victim of a sunstroke, a person stranded with a broken down vehicle, a beggar on the street needing medical care or clothes. All these acts are regular occurrences, we are emotional about them, but in front of our priorities of work, family, religion, we overlook and give them less precedence.
When Mother Teresa started a home in Kolkota for the dying destitute opposite the Kali Temple, many came to protest against her saying she was converting Hindus and Muslims to Christianity, there focus was to look it according to their priorities. But when the Commissioner of Police addressed the mob, he told them: “I will send this lady out of here, I will put her in prison (they all started clapping hands)” and he continued “I will do that if you take all these dying, sick people to your homes and take care of her like this woman does.” For people like Mother Teresa, Baba Amte, Blessed Damien of Molokoi, love was the priority. It was through love, love for God and love of the other, they found union with God.
The story is actually a response to the question: “Who is my neighbor?” He/she is not just the person living next door, nor a fellow-national, nor a fellow-Catholic but someone who responds unconditionally to the need of a brother/sister. A real neighbor in the Gospel is one who can show real compassion to a total stranger in need, unconditionally and without moral judgement.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” is one arm of the most central commandment. “Who is my neighbor?” is a crucial question in carrying out the commandment. Each one has honestly to ask this question. Another way to ask it is, “Who in my life am I willing/unwilling to help?” What are my criteria for helping another person? Do family, friends, race, religion, moral goodness, criminal record come into the picture? What about the person who hates me? the drug addict? the alcoholic? the prostitute? the homosexual? In honestly answering the question, “Who is my neighbor?”, I learn a great deal about the kind of person I am, the kind of neighbor I am.Let’s all be good neighbors!
Prayer: Lord! Help me to be a Good Neighbor. Amen
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