Fifteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 105
Lectionary: 105
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.”
“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.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 69:14, 17, 30-31,
33-34, 36, 37
R. (cf. 33) Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will
live.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favor, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
in your great mercy turn toward me.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
R.(9a) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Reading 2COL 1:15-20
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.
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.
GospelLK 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.”
“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.”
Scripture Study
July 14, 2013 Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
The
scripture readings this Sunday deal with the real meaning of the law and the
question of who are the people who do the will of God? The first reading tells us
that the law and the will of God are not far away and hard to understand.
Rather, He has made them known to us if we are willing to listen. In what way
does the word of God seem far away from me and how does it seem close to hand?
The second reading deals with the role of Jesus in the scheme of things and
answers the question, "Who is Jesus?" In the Gospel reading, Jesus
surprised the Jews by telling them that a Samaritan could follow God's law of
love even though he was a foreigner and they considered him a heretic. When am
I moved with compassion and when am I eager to "walk on the opposite
side?" How do I understand the connection between love of neighbor and
worship of God?
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
9 Then the LORD, your God, will increase in more than goodly measure the returns from all your labors, the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil; for the LORD, your God, will again take delight in your prosperity, even as he took delight in your fathers', 10 if only you 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.
11 "For this command which I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. 12 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?' 13 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?' 14 No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."
NOTES on First Reading:
* 30:10 "This book of the Law" refers to Deuteronomy itself.
* 30:11-14 The Law is not some esoteric knowledge requiring that one like Enoch go to heaven to communicate it to us. It is found here on earth, recited in the covenant festival and written by God on the hearts of His people. This brings to mind Jer 31:33 and Ezek 36:26-27 which are generally taken to refer to the new covenant of Jesus but they are foreshadowed to some extent in the Old Covenant when well lived out.
Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, 20 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.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 1:15-20 These six verses are an independent unit that constitute a primitive Christian hymn. Some have held that the hymn started out as a Gnostic hymn rather than a Christian one. Differences in style, vocabulary and thought between this hymn and the rest of Colossians as well as other Pauline letters indicate that the author of Colossians did not compose it. Rather, he adapted an all ready existing composition made up of "traditional" material. Many, perhaps most modern scholars hold that a disciple of the Pauline tradition of theological thought wrote Colossians. The background of the hymn includes Gen 1:1 and Prov 8:22 as well as Jewish tradition and ideas related to the Day of Atonement.
* 1:15-16 The theme here is the role of Christ in creation. This is a fairly direct allusion to the wisdom motifs in the Old Testament such as Prov 3:19; 8:22-31; Wis 7:22; 9:2-4. Christ is described as the image of God in Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 11:7; 15:49; 2 Cor 3:18. "Thrones, dominions, principalities or powers" are taken to be angelic beings in Colossians. Elsewhere they are taken to be earthly or cosmic powers (2 Pet 2:10; Jude 8). The error of the Colossians may have been to consider them as rivals to or supplementary powers to Christ rather than as subject to Him. This would have come out of a Gnostic understanding applied to the complex Jewish angelology of the time. "Thrones" appears nowhere else in the New Testament as a name for angelic beings.
* 1:17 Reflecting the Wisdom speculations of the Hellenistic Jews, Christ is presented as preexistent. (See Wisdom 7:22)
* 1:18 The phrase, "the church", was added by a redactor (editor) sometime after the letter was initially written. The addition was intended to remove Christ from the context of Gnostic speculation and place Him in the context of His role in the Church.
* 1:19 Among the Gnostics, "fullness" meant the whole body of heavenly powers and spiritual emanations that came forth from God. If the letter was written partly to counteract the false teachings of the Gnostics then the writer is telling them that there is no other place to look for spiritual power, knowledge or God, Himself, than Jesus. The fullness of God is in Christ.
Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37
25 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" 27 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." 28 He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
29 But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 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. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 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. 35 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.' 36 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" 37 He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
NOTES on Gospel:
* 10:25-37 This story contains a story within a story and also a double message. It teaches that from the point of view of the Old Covenant, Gentiles can observe the Law and thus inherit eternal life as well as teaching a powerful message about mercy toward those in need.
* 10:25 The lawyer apparently was present during Jesus' instruction of the disciples in 10:1-24 and the "testing" involves the role of God's law in salvation as preached by the missionaries that Jesus sent out. In 18:18-30, Luke gives a more specifically Christian answer to the question.
* 10:27 In his answer the lawyer quotes Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18.
* 10:28 Jesus affirms the validity of the law and encourages the living out of the twin commandment of love.
* 10:29 The question about who is to be considered "neighbor" cuts to the heart of the issue. It comes out of common debates of the day concerning who belongs to God's people and is therefore to be treated with neighborly love.
* 10:30-35 This whole story of the "Good Samaritan" is actually a long lead in to Jesus' counter question which is asked in verse 36.
* 10:31-35 The priest and the Levite have official duties to perform in the Temple. They avoid the injured man for fear that he may be dead already or he may die while they attend to him. In either case their contact with a dead body would make them ritually unclean and disqualify them from service in the Temple for seven days while they went through the purification rites. The result is that these two who should be models for those who wish to observe the law, fail to provide help to the injured man. They do not show that love which the lawyer and Jesus have just spoken about. In fact the love of neighbor is shown by a Samaritan who was considered a pariah by the Jewish audience of the story.
* 10:36 Jesus turns the question of who belongs to God's people and thus is to be loved on its head and instead says that the real question should be what is proper behavior for a member of God's chosen people.
* 10:37 The lawyer won't even say "Samaritan". Because the Samaritan outcast acted in accord with the law of love, he showed that he was a neighbor and a member of God's people who inherit eternal life.
First Reading: Deuteronomy 30: 10-14
9 Then the LORD, your God, will increase in more than goodly measure the returns from all your labors, the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your soil; for the LORD, your God, will again take delight in your prosperity, even as he took delight in your fathers', 10 if only you 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.
11 "For this command which I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. 12 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?' 13 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?' 14 No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."
NOTES on First Reading:
* 30:10 "This book of the Law" refers to Deuteronomy itself.
* 30:11-14 The Law is not some esoteric knowledge requiring that one like Enoch go to heaven to communicate it to us. It is found here on earth, recited in the covenant festival and written by God on the hearts of His people. This brings to mind Jer 31:33 and Ezek 36:26-27 which are generally taken to refer to the new covenant of Jesus but they are foreshadowed to some extent in the Old Covenant when well lived out.
Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 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. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 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. 19 For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, 20 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.
NOTES on Second Reading:
* 1:15-20 These six verses are an independent unit that constitute a primitive Christian hymn. Some have held that the hymn started out as a Gnostic hymn rather than a Christian one. Differences in style, vocabulary and thought between this hymn and the rest of Colossians as well as other Pauline letters indicate that the author of Colossians did not compose it. Rather, he adapted an all ready existing composition made up of "traditional" material. Many, perhaps most modern scholars hold that a disciple of the Pauline tradition of theological thought wrote Colossians. The background of the hymn includes Gen 1:1 and Prov 8:22 as well as Jewish tradition and ideas related to the Day of Atonement.
* 1:15-16 The theme here is the role of Christ in creation. This is a fairly direct allusion to the wisdom motifs in the Old Testament such as Prov 3:19; 8:22-31; Wis 7:22; 9:2-4. Christ is described as the image of God in Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 11:7; 15:49; 2 Cor 3:18. "Thrones, dominions, principalities or powers" are taken to be angelic beings in Colossians. Elsewhere they are taken to be earthly or cosmic powers (2 Pet 2:10; Jude 8). The error of the Colossians may have been to consider them as rivals to or supplementary powers to Christ rather than as subject to Him. This would have come out of a Gnostic understanding applied to the complex Jewish angelology of the time. "Thrones" appears nowhere else in the New Testament as a name for angelic beings.
* 1:17 Reflecting the Wisdom speculations of the Hellenistic Jews, Christ is presented as preexistent. (See Wisdom 7:22)
* 1:18 The phrase, "the church", was added by a redactor (editor) sometime after the letter was initially written. The addition was intended to remove Christ from the context of Gnostic speculation and place Him in the context of His role in the Church.
* 1:19 Among the Gnostics, "fullness" meant the whole body of heavenly powers and spiritual emanations that came forth from God. If the letter was written partly to counteract the false teachings of the Gnostics then the writer is telling them that there is no other place to look for spiritual power, knowledge or God, Himself, than Jesus. The fullness of God is in Christ.
Gospel Reading: Luke 10:25-37
25 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" 27 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." 28 He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
29 But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 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. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 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. 35 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.' 36 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" 37 He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
NOTES on Gospel:
* 10:25-37 This story contains a story within a story and also a double message. It teaches that from the point of view of the Old Covenant, Gentiles can observe the Law and thus inherit eternal life as well as teaching a powerful message about mercy toward those in need.
* 10:25 The lawyer apparently was present during Jesus' instruction of the disciples in 10:1-24 and the "testing" involves the role of God's law in salvation as preached by the missionaries that Jesus sent out. In 18:18-30, Luke gives a more specifically Christian answer to the question.
* 10:27 In his answer the lawyer quotes Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18.
* 10:28 Jesus affirms the validity of the law and encourages the living out of the twin commandment of love.
* 10:29 The question about who is to be considered "neighbor" cuts to the heart of the issue. It comes out of common debates of the day concerning who belongs to God's people and is therefore to be treated with neighborly love.
* 10:30-35 This whole story of the "Good Samaritan" is actually a long lead in to Jesus' counter question which is asked in verse 36.
* 10:31-35 The priest and the Levite have official duties to perform in the Temple. They avoid the injured man for fear that he may be dead already or he may die while they attend to him. In either case their contact with a dead body would make them ritually unclean and disqualify them from service in the Temple for seven days while they went through the purification rites. The result is that these two who should be models for those who wish to observe the law, fail to provide help to the injured man. They do not show that love which the lawyer and Jesus have just spoken about. In fact the love of neighbor is shown by a Samaritan who was considered a pariah by the Jewish audience of the story.
* 10:36 Jesus turns the question of who belongs to God's people and thus is to be loved on its head and instead says that the real question should be what is proper behavior for a member of God's chosen people.
* 10:37 The lawyer won't even say "Samaritan". Because the Samaritan outcast acted in accord with the law of love, he showed that he was a neighbor and a member of God's people who inherit eternal life.
Meditation: "Go and do
likewise"
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."
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Fifteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
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Father Shawn Aaron,
LC
Luke 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."
Introductory Prayer: Almighty and ever-living God, I seek new
strength from the courage of Christ our shepherd. I believe in you, I hope in
you, and I seek to love you with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and
all my strength. I want to be led one day to join the saints in heaven, where
your Son Jesus Christ lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God
for ever and ever.
Petition: Jesus, may I love as you have loved me.
1. Teacher,
What Must I Do to Inherit Eternal Life? Since the human soul is spiritual, its longings are
infinite in scope, and so we naturally want to live an eternity of happiness,
an eternity full of life. Yet this scholar of the law has keenly perceived
that eternal life is more than just the next step after death. I must do
something in order to inherit it. My existence and my redemption are totally
unmerited gifts from God: I never asked him for the gift of life nor did I
ask him to die for me, yet here I am, alive and redeemed. What is more, I can
never earn either existence or God´s free love. Yet there is at least an
aspect of eternal life that derives from my merit. The quality of my eternal
life corresponds to the quality of my love and the goodness of my deeds on
this side of eternity.
2. What Is Written
in the Law? The response
of Jesus verifies a profoundly Catholic understanding of reality. The
scholar´s question could be put in another way: "What must I do to be
saved?" One would expect the response to be: "Believe, have
faith!" Yet Jesus already knows that this man has faith. He confirms
that faith is certainly necessary for salvation, but that faith must be
translated into love if we are to have eternal life. When Jesus says,
"What is written in the law," he presupposes faith in God, the
author of the moral law. But in addition, he is inviting him to apply his
faith to living the law in love. Faith and works are inseparable.
"Whoever says, ´I know him,´ but does not keep his commandments, is a
liar, and in such a person the truth does not exist; but whoever keeps his
word, truly in this person the love of God has reached perfection" (1
John 2:4-5).
3. Do This and
You Will Live: With these
words Jesus brings the lesson to a full conclusion. By loving as the Good
Samaritan loves, we are on the path to a life that is never-ending, a life
that we naturally long to experience and possess. We must always trust Jesus
when we find that he places us in situations that stretch our love and
generosity to limits that often hurt. He knows that we long for eternal life,
but he also knows that the path to that life is a love that purifies,
stretches, and demands our all. Therefore, Jesus invites us to follow him
down the road of life-giving love. Every crucifix reminds us of this
self-giving love that leads to life.
Conversation with
Christ: Blessed Lord,
increase my faith so that I may see you in every person I meet. Strengthen my
hope that I may trust firmly that you will give me all I need to love as you
ask. Deepen my love that I may experience the joy that comes from giving and
not counting the cost. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.
Resolution: Today I will do three hidden acts of
charity.
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SUNDAY, JULY 14
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
LUKE 10:25-37
(Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Psalm 69; Colossians 1:15-20)
KEY VERSE: "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" (v27).
READING: A scribe (a "lawyer") was one well versed in the law of Moses. When a scribe asked what he must do to gain eternal life, Jesus told him that the answer was found in the scriptures: to love God wholeheartedly (Dt 6:4-5) and to love one's neighbor (Lv 19:18). When the scribe asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus told the parable about a good Samaritan. Since there was deep hostility between Jews and Samaritans, the words "Samaritan" and "neighbor" were generally not used together. Yet it was a Samaritan who took the time to rescue a man who was left to die by the side of the road. It would have been just as shocking for Jesus to say that the priests and Levites rescued the man as that would have made these religious people "unclean" (Nm 19:16). Jesus said that the priests and Levites went off to do "holy" things in Jerusalem, while the despised Samaritan was moved with God's compassion and treated the wounded man with mercy. Jesus told the scribe, andtells us as well, to go and do likewise to the "neighbor" we meet along the way.
REFLECTING: In what ways did I show love of God and neighbor today?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to love my neighbor as I love you.
Turn to the Lord in your need, and
you will live
'Do this and life is yours ...'
The Word of God is not a set of rules but the key to understanding the meaning of our existence. God's Word is God's deed, so in creating God simply said, 'Let it be created', and it was so. God's creative Word is enfleshed in Jesus. In him our God is made present. He speaks of God's great love.
We thank you, God, for being near to us, in our words and in our hearts. Only let it be more so. We know that our word, like yours, has power. By our word we can hurt or heal. By our word we can speak out for what is right. Help us always to speak words of love. May we always speak our heart to you, O God. And may our word, like that of the Samaritan, be enfleshed in good deeds.
July 14
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
(1656-1680)
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
(1656-1680)
The blood of martyrs is the seed of saints. Nine years after the
Jesuits Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf (October 19) were tomahawked by
Iroquois warriors, a baby girl was born near the place of their martyrdom,
Auriesville, New York.
Her mother was a Christian Algonquin, taken captive by the
Iroquois and given as wife to the chief of the Mohawk clan, the boldest and
fiercest of the Five Nations. When she was four, Kateri lost her parents and
little brother in a smallpox epidemic that left her disfigured and half blind.
She was adopted by an uncle, who succeeded her father as chief. He hated the
coming of the Blackrobes (Jesuit missionaries), but could do nothing to them
because a peace treaty with the French required their presence in villages with
Christian captives. She was moved by the words of three Blackrobes who lodged
with her uncle, but fear of him kept her from seeking instruction. She refused
to marry a Mohawk brave and at 19 finally got the courage to take the step of
converting. She was baptized with the name Kateri (Catherine) on Easter Sunday.
Now she would be treated as a slave. Because she would not work on
Sunday, she received no food that day. Her life in grace grew rapidly. She told
a missionary that she often meditated on the great dignity of being baptized.
She was powerfully moved by God’s love for human beings and saw the dignity of
each of her people.
She was always in danger, for her conversion and holy life created
great opposition. On the advice of a priest, she stole away one night and began
a 200-mile walking journey to a Christian Indian village at Sault St. Louis,
near Montreal.
For three years she grew in holiness under the direction of a
priest and an older Iroquois woman, giving herself totally to God in long hours
of prayer, in charity and in strenuous penance. At 23 she took a vow of
virginity, an unprecedented act for an Indian woman, whose future depended on
being married. She found a place in the woods where she could pray an hour a
day—and was accused of meeting a man there!
Her dedication to virginity was instinctive: She did not know
about religious life for women until she visited Montreal. Inspired by this,
she and two friends wanted to start a community, but the local priest dissuaded
her. She humbly accepted an “ordinary” life. She practiced extremely severe
fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation. She died the afternoon
before Holy Thursday. Witnesses said that her emaciated face changed color and
became like that of a healthy child. The lines of suffering, even the
pockmarks, disappeared and the touch of a smile came upon her lips. She was
beatified in 1980 and canonized in 2012..
Comment:
We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.
We like to think that our proposed holiness is thwarted by our situation. If only we could have more solitude, less opposition, better health. Kateri repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere. Yet she did have what Christians—all people—need: the support of a community. She had a good mother, helpful priests, Christian friends. These were present in what we call primitive conditions, and blossomed in the age-old Christian triad of prayer, fasting and alms: union with God in Jesus and the Spirit, self-discipline and often suffering, and charity for her brothers and sisters.
Quote:
Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
Kateri said: “I am not my own; I have given myself to Jesus. He must be my only love. The state of helpless poverty that may befall me if I do not marry does not frighten me. All I need is a little food and a few pieces of clothing. With the work of my hands I shall always earn what is necessary and what is left over I’ll give to my relatives and to the poor. If I should become sick and unable to work, then I shall be like the Lord on the cross. He will have mercy on me and help me, I am sure.”
LECTIO: 15TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
Lectio:
Sunday, July 14,
2013
The parable of the
Good Samaritan
Who is my neighbour?
Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbour?
Luke 10:25-37
1. LECTIO
a) Opening prayer:
a) Opening prayer:
Prayers of Blessed
Giorgio Preca in Il Sacrario dello spirito di Cristo
Lord God, you are
present and I am in you:
Give me wisdom to know your spirit.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Grant me the gift of the spirit of the Master, my Christ Jesus.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Guide my every way with your light.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Teach me to do your will at all times.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not let me stray from your Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not abandon me when my strength fails.
Give me wisdom to know your spirit.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Grant me the gift of the spirit of the Master, my Christ Jesus.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Guide my every way with your light.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Teach me to do your will at all times.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not let me stray from your Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not abandon me when my strength fails.
b) Gospel reading:
25 And
behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Picture) 26 He said to him,
"What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered,
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as
yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this,
and you will live."
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
c)
Prayerful silent time:
that
the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our life.
2.
MEDITATIO
a) A
key to the reading:
This is
chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel. It is the central part of Luke’s Gospel and it
follows Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem: «Now as the time drew near for him to be
taken up to heaven, he resolutely took the road for Jerusalem» (Lk 9: 51). We
know that for Luke, Jerusalem is the city where salvation will take place, and
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem forms a central theme. Luke’s story begins in the
holy city (Lk 1: 5) and ends in the same city (Lk 24: 52). In this middle
section, Luke will repeatedly insist on the fact that Jesus is going towards
Jerusalem (for instance in Lk 13: 22; 17: 11). In this text, which tells the
parable of the good Samaritan in the context of a discussion with a doctor of
the law concerning the greatest commandment, we again find the theme of a
journey, this time from Jerusalem to Jericho (Lk 10: 30). The parable is part
of this middle section of the Gospel that begins with Jesus, a pilgrim together
with his disciples on their way to Jerusalem. He sends them ahead to prepare
for him to stop at a Samaritan village and there they only find hostility
precisely because they were on their way to Jerusalem (Lk 9: 51-53). The
Samaritans avoided pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and were hostile to them.
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of
him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit” (Lk 10: 1).
Seventy-two is the traditional number of pagan nations.
The
Fathers of the Church (Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome and others), keeping in mind
all the symbolism associated with Jerusalem, the holy city of salvation,
interpret this parable in a particular way. In the man who goes from Jerusalem
to Jericho they see Adam who represents the whole human race expelled from
Eden, the celestial paradise, because of sin. The Fathers of the Church see the
thieves as the tempter who takes us away from God’s friendship with his wiles
and who holds us slaves in our humanity wounded by sin. In the priest and the
Levite they see the insufficiency of the old law for our salvation that will be
accomplished by our Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who,
leaving the celestial Jerusalem, comes to the aid of our sinful condition and
heals us with the oil of grace and the wine of the Spirit. In the inn, the
Fathers see and image of the Church and in the inn-keeper they see the pastors
into whose hands Jesus entrusts the care of his people, The departure of the
Samaritan from the inn is seen by the Fathers as the resurrection and ascension
of Jesus to sit at the right hand of the Father, but who promises to come back
to reward each person according to his or her merit. Jesus then leaves the two
denarii to the Church for our salvation, the two denarii that are the Sacred
Scriptures and the Sacraments that help us on our way to holiness.
This
allegorical and mystical interpretation of the text helps us to accept well the
message of this parable. The text of the parable begins with a dialogue between
a doctor of the law who stands to put the Lord to the test by asking: «Master,
what must I do to inherit eternal life?» (Lk 10: 25). Jesus replies with
another question: «What is written in the law? What do you read there?» (Lk 10:
26). We must see this dialogue as a confrontation between two masters, a thing
quite common in those days as a system of clarifying and deepening points of
law. The polemical tone prevailing here is different from that in Mark where
the question is asked by a Scribe who «had listened to them debating (Jesus and
the Sadducees), and had observed how well Jesus had answered them» (Mk 12: 28)
then puts the question to Jesus. This Scribe is well disposed to listen to
Jesus, so much so that Jesus ends the dialogue with: «You are not far from the
kingdom of God» (Mk 12: 34). Matthew, however, places this question in the
context of a debate between Jesus and the Sadducees with the Pharisees present
who when they “heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together and,
to disconcert him, one of them put a question…” (Mt 22:34-35). Jesus gives an
immediate reply quoting the commandment of love as found in Deuteronomy and
Leviticus.
Only in
Luke’s text is the question not about which is the greatest commandment but
about how to inherit eternal life, a question dealt with again in the Synoptic
Gospels on the lips of the rich young man (Mt 19: 16; Mk 10: 17; Lk 18: 18). As
in Mark, so also here, Jesus praises the doctor of the law: «You have answered
right… do this and life is yours» (Lk 1:, 28). But the doctor of the law was
not yet satisfied with Jesus’ answer and wanting «to justify himself» (Lk 10:
28) for having asked the question asks again “and who is my neighbour”! This
second question introduces and connects the following parable with the dialogue
between Jesus and the doctor of the law. We also notice an inclusion between
verse 26 that ends the debate and leads us to the tale of the parable in verse
37, which ends definitively the dialogue and the parable. In this verse, Jesus
repeats to the doctor of the law that he had defined the neighbour as one who
was compassionate: «Go and do the same yourself». This phrase of Jesus reminds
us of the words at the last supper as recorded in John, when, after the washing
of the feet, Jesus invites his disciples to follow his example (Jn 13: 12-15).
At the last supper, Jesus bequeaths to his disciples the commandment of love
understood as willingness “to give one’s life” in love for each other as the
Lord has loved us (Jn 15: 12-14).
This
commandment goes beyond the observance of the law. The priest and the Levite
have kept the law by not approaching the poor wounded man who is left half
dead, so as not to defile themselves (Lev 21: 1). Jesus goes beyond the law and
desires his disciples to do as he does. «By this love you have for one another,
everyone will know that you are my disciples» (Jn 13: 35). For the disciple of
Jesus mere philanthropy is not enough. The Christian is called to something
more, which he or she accomplishes in imitation of the Master, as the Apostle
Paul said: «We are those who have the mind of Christ» (1 Cor 2: 16) «Because
the love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that one man has died for all»
(2 Cor 5, 14).
b) Some
questions to direct our meditation and practice:
* What
touched you most in the parable?
* With whom in the story do you identify?
* Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Good Samaritan?
* Do you feel the need for salvation in your life?
* Can you say with the apostle Paul that you have the mind of Christ?
* What urges you to love your neighbour? Is it the need to love and be loved, or is it compassion and the love of Christ?
* Who is your neighbour?
* With whom in the story do you identify?
* Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Good Samaritan?
* Do you feel the need for salvation in your life?
* Can you say with the apostle Paul that you have the mind of Christ?
* What urges you to love your neighbour? Is it the need to love and be loved, or is it compassion and the love of Christ?
* Who is your neighbour?
3.
ORATIO
Canticle
- 1Pt 2, 21-24
21
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in
his steps. 22 He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. 23 When he
was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not
threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins
in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By
his wounds you have been healed.
4.
CONTEMPLATIO
Contemplation
is knowing how to adhere with one’s mind and heart to the Lord who by his Word
transforms us into new beings who always do his will. “Knowing these things,
you will be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13: 17)
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