Word to the Wise
Sunday, July 10, 2016 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Deut 30:10-14; Col 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37]"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." [Deuteronomy]
SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2016 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
[Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37]
"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." [Deuteronomy]
"YOU HAVE ONLY TO CARRY IT OUT." That's the hard part, isn't it? Jesus' simple statement to the "scholar of the law" at the end of today's gospel parable of the Good Samaritan is, "GO AND DO LIKEWISE." It is clear that the lawyer not only knew the law but also which of the 613 precepts were the most important: love of God and love of neighbor. When Jesus hears him say this, Jesus replies, "You have answered correctly. DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE." Then we see not just the legal mind at work, but anybody's mind if we're honest. "And, who is my neighbor?" The answer, if we accept Jesus' teaching is: EVERYONE.
Our "neighbor" is the person next to us in the pew, the family next door, the homeless person we meet on the street, the latest victim of gun violence, the immigrant fleeing vilence at home, anyone in need or anyone who will join with us to help others. The robbers' victim in the parable could have expected help from a fellow Jew, especially a priest or levite (temple worker). Surely they would know the law? Instead, the one who had compassion was a person who might have considered the victim an enemy in ordinary circumstances!
If we have to ask, "And who is my neighbor?" we know then that we have to grow in compassion and understanding of what it means to truly love God. Pope Benedict XVI put it well in his encyclical DEUS CARITAS EST: "If we are blind to our neighbor, we are blind to God." Back to the hard part! AMEN
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