Reading 1
Dt 30:10-14
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."
Reading 2
Col1:15-20
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.
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
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."
Meditation: Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29)
In his questioning and counter-questioning with Jesus, this lawyer revealed a deep sensitivity to the word of the Lord. Unlike most of the other experts in Judaism—who were among Jesus’ most bitter opponents—this one got to the heart of the entire plan of God with two simple commands: Love God, and love your neighbor.
In his answer, the lawyer demonstrated what Moses told the Israelites centuries earlier: “The word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart” (Deuteronomy 30:14). He showed that the way of God is written, almost genetically, within the impulses of our human nature, and for this he won Jesus’ approval.
Brothers and sisters, the gospel isn’t hard to understand. It’s not a complex set of theological formulas. We don’t need years of education to get to its core. God has written it on our hearts, and in the depths of our conscience, we all know the truth.
But there is more to this passage than a conversation between two religious leaders. Jesus not only told the lawyer that he was on the right track, he also said: “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28). Evidently, it’s not enough for us to understand the truth. Our understanding should lead us to doing the truth as well. So in the end, the gospel is just as demanding as it is simple.
Whenever we hear God’s word proclaimed at Mass, Jesus tells us: “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). He asks us to embrace the simplicity of his message and to silence the inner voices that try to make excuses and protest that Jesus is asking too much. Moses was right: The word is not far from us at all. The Holy Spirit—the love and power of God—is always with us to teach us and to empower us.
“Thank you, Jesus, for writing your words on my heart. By the power of your Spirit, give me the courage and humility to go and do the works of your gospel. Jesus, make me more like you.”
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Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion
(Isaiah 66:10-14; Psalm 66:1-7,16,20; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12,17-20)
1. In the first reading, Moses tells the people the command they are to fulfill is already “something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” Jesus summarizes this command for us in the Gospel reading: love God and love your neighbors. How would you characterize how you are fulfilling this command? What small step may God be asking you to take to better love Him and your neighbors?
2. The responsorial psalm is a cry for help by the psalmist who is “afflicted and in pain.” Why is he able to respond to this affliction and pain with these words: “I will praise the name of the Lord in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving”?
3. In second reading from the letter to the Colossians, St. Paul’s ancient hymn says that in Christ all things are reconciled. What areas of your life may still require a deeper reconciliation with God or with your neighbor?
4. In the Gospel reading, in response to the man who wanted “to justify” himself, Jesus tells the beautiful story of the Good Samaritan. Which of the characters in the parable do you relate to the most? Why?
5. The Good Samaritan is often taken as a model of Jesus’ care for each of us. With this in mind, how do you relate the care to the man who was victimized with how Jesus has cared for you?
6. In the meditation, we hear these words: “Evidently, it’s not enough for us to understand the truth. Our understanding should lead us to doing the truth as well.” If you are in a group, pray for one another for the grace and power to live out the truths of the Gospel, especially to love God and our neighbors. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.
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