FIRST READING
Galatians 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.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 111:1b-2, 7-8, 9 and 10c
R. 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.
ALLELUIA
John 13:34
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Luke 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.”
REFLECTIONS:
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 its 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 which 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.
Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards
every fellow human being. Jesus's 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 Jerico. This narrow highway
was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their
victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think
of traveling through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to
travel with others for protection and defense.
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.
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 to
help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity,
or emphathizing 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 emphathizes with the one who is
in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration.
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 fulness 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."
No comments:
Post a Comment