Reading 1
Jon 1:1:2:1-2, 11
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.
He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish,
paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish,
away from the LORD.
The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,
and in the furious tempest that arose
the ship was on the point of breaking up.
Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god.
To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship,
and lay there fast asleep.
The captain came to him and said, "What are you doing asleep?
Rise up, call upon your God!
Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish."
Then they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots
to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune."
So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.
"Tell us," they said, 'what is your business?
Where do you come from?
What is your country, and to what people do you belong?"
Jonah answered them, "I am a Hebrew,
I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land."
Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him,
"How could you do such a thing!"
They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD,
because he had told them."
They asked, "What shall we do with you,
that the sea may quiet down for us?"
For the sea was growing more and more turbulent.
Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,
that it may quiet down for you;
since I know it is because of me
that this violent storm has come upon you."
Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not,
for the sea grew ever more turbulent.
Then they cried to the LORD: "We beseech you, O LORD,
let us not perish for taking this man's life;
do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,
for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit."
Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea's raging abated.
Struck with great fear of the LORD,
the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.
But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;
and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.
From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed
to the LORD, his God.
Responsorial Psalm
Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and you heard my voice.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the sea,
and the flood enveloped me;
All your breakers and your billows
passed over me.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Then I said, "I am banished from your sight!
yet would I again look upon your holy temple."
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
When my soul fainted within me,
I remembered the LORD;
My prayer reached you
in your holy temple.
R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
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."
Meditation: Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29)
According to an old saying, common sense should be called something else, because it’s not really all that common! If you were traveling down a lonely road and saw a man bruised and beaten, lying in his own blood, wouldn’t common sense tell you to help him? What kind of human being walks past a man in that condition?
We may find reasons to excuse the Levite and the priest. Jewish law decreed that coming into contact with someone else’s blood rendered you ritually unclean. And if a priest or Levite were to become unclean, he would not be able to minister to the Lord in the Temple until a certain amount of time had passed or until he had offered a certain type of sacrifice to purify himself. But if you find yourself debating between ritual impurity and the life of a wounded man, there really should be no question. Of course you should help the man and then do whatever you need to do in order to become pure again.
Ironically, it’s the Samaritan who shows both common sense and compassion. And the man he stops to help is most likely a Jew. He helps one of the people who looked down on Samaritans as unworthy of their time or attention. None of that mattered. Someone was hurting, and he knew he had to help. Unlike the two men who passed by on the other side of the road, the Samaritan was willing to get his hands dirty in order to help a person in need. He showed what it means to love our neighbor— to let love override concerns about purity. In a sense, he reveals the truth behind St. Peter’s saying that “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
Jesus wants to tell us today that our “neighbor” is everyone. He wants to tell us that our love should not be limited only to those who are like us or those who do not threaten our sense of comfort or propriety. So keep your eyes open today for the opportunity to love your neighbor. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty as you bring God’s love to the people around you.
“Jesus, give me a heart of compassion and love. I want to be your hands and feet in the world today.”
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