Reading 1
Gal 1:6-12
Brothers and sisters:
I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking
the one who called you by the grace of Christ
for a different gospel (not that there is another).
But there are some who are disturbing you
and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.
But even if we or an angel from heaven
should preach to you a gospel
other than the one that we preached to you,
let that one be accursed!
As we have said before, and now I say again,
if anyone preaches to you a gospel
other than the one that you received,
let that one be accursed!
Am I now currying favor with human beings or God?
Or am I seeking to please people?
If I were still trying to please people,
I would not be a slave of Christ.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Ps 111:1b-2, 7-8, 9 and 10c
Responsorial PsalmR.
(5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
His praise endures forever.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus 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
“Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37)
Today is the memorial of Francis of Assisi, the saint who has been called the “most beautiful image of Jesus.” What a happy occurrence that the Gospel reading for today is the parable of the good Samaritan! Like the hero of this parable, Francis lived a life of compassion and generosity, doing all he could for God’s little ones, no matter the cost or risk to himself.
When he was a young dandy, Francis would gallop quickly away if he came across anyone suffering from leprosy. He found the disease “unbearably bitter,” not just because of the way it ravaged its victims but because of the way it reminded him of his own frailty and mortality.
But then one day, after Francis had begun to seek God earnestly, he happened upon another beggar suffering from leprosy. His first reaction was to flee, but instead he dismounted, embraced the man, and placed some coins in his hand. But even that wasn’t enough. He next rode to the hospital of San Lazzaro to beg pardon of the patients there for having despised them and ignored their misery, and gave them alms. Years later, Francis would recall these events as his “conversion,” saying: “That which had first seemed bitter to me was now changed for me into sweetness.”
Both today’s parable and the life of St. Francis tell us about the great dignity that each of us has in God’s eyes. And both these stories urge us to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). We may be fearful or hesitant to get involved, just as the priest and Levite were in Jesus’ parable. This is especially challenging when it comes to reaching out to people in need like the homeless, the unemployed, or those with physical disabilities or mental illness. But we shouldn’t be deterred by assuming that God wants us to do “something really big” for them. All Francis did was offer a simple embrace and a little bit of money. It doesn’t take much to minister Jesus’ love. All it takes is an open heart and a willingness to try.
“O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.” (Prayer of St. Francis)
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