Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2013

JULY 14TH 2013. FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio's homily follows the Gospel.

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GOSPEL:                                Luke 10: 25-37

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What do you read there?' He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself'. 'You have answered right,' said Jesus 'do this and life is yours.'

But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?' Jesus replied, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. "Look after him," he said "and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have." Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands` hands?' 'The one who took pity on him' he replied. Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself'.

THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD: PRAISE TO YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Kieran's summary . . . We sometimes read this parable as if the intention were merely to highlight the meanness and selfishness of the priest and the Levite. But the intention of the parable is more profound. Jesus directs the story at a doctor of the Law, someone who would have appreciated perfectly that the Law had placed an absolute prohibition on priests (and Levites) from approaching a man who was already half-dead. The Samaritan is someone whose action towards others is not constrained by rules and preconceptions. Often we abide by a worldview or a philosophy that effectively prevents us from following Jesus. Our habitual actions and mental schemes can prevent us from loving others in a genuine way. The parable should prompt us to examine the barriers we erect around ourselves that stop us from following the way of the Lord. The stricken man was "untouchable" for the priest and the Levite. What is "untouchable" for me? The Samaritan used his oil, wine and money to help the man. In the same way, the Lord is calling all of us to reevaluate how we use our worldly goods. Like the Samaritan we must go beyond the Law; we must go beyond what we usually consider to be the purpose of our worldly possessions. We must consume what we have in the service of others.

This parable is not so much interested in revealing who my neighbour is as it is in showing what it is to BE a good neighbour.

Jesus gives a clear reply to the doctor of the law who asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. One must simply love God and neighbour. The doctor, however, wants to complicate matters. He seeks a way of avoiding the crystal clear obligations that have been placed before him.  So he asks, "Who is my neighbour?" Jesus replies by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan. The real problem, however, is not trying to understood who our neighbour is. The real problem confronting the doctor of the law is that he has not made a serious effort to follow the will of God. The parable of the Good Samaritan is not so much directed to revealing who my neighbour is as it is a parable designed to show that it is following the will of God that matters.

The priest and Levite represent the way that we "love" our neighbour when we remain within our preconceived schemes and habitual way of doing things.

It is important that we not read the parable in over simplistic or sentimental terms. A man is robbed and beaten up on the road to Jericho. As he lies half-dead on the side of the road, a priest passes him by without stopping to help. A Levite does the same thing. This prompts us to ask why they refused to come to the man's aid. We are inclined to react by saying, "How mean and selfish they were!" But a more mature reading of the parable takes into account the cultural context in which the story is set. Priests and Levites were absolutely forbidden by the Law to touch the dead. Death was considered incompatible with God. When Ezekiel wished to emphasize the shocking way in which the temple had been profaned, he merely had to say that he saw corpses in  the sanctuary. The Books of Exodus and Leviticus state that whoever is of God must have nothing to do with death. Sin led to death, so death was an expression of our distance from God. The priest represented the reconciliation of God and man and had the duty of offering sacrifices. The Levite's job was to serve the priest. The Law therefore was very clear in prohibiting the priest and Levite from approaching a man that appeared to be dead or dying. It is too simplistic to read this parable and dismiss them as being "mean" or "selfish". They were firmly bound by their obligations to the Law.  The Law can do nothing other that state what is the case. It can say "What you did is wrong", but it cannot bring about salvation in itself. Remember, Jesus is telling this story to a doctor of the Law. This doctor would have been well aware of what the Law stipulated, but Jesus is telling him that he must go beyond the Law if he wishes to be saved.

In order to love we must go beyond our preconceptions, our comfort zone, our fear of the "untouchable"

The Samaritan is then introduced into the story. The Samaritans, for the Jews, were heretics. They were those who had distorted the Law. We are told that this Samaritan was a "traveller". He is someone who is on a journey and has a definite destination. The Samaritan sees the stricken man and is filled with compassion. He approaches him and pours oil and wine on his wounds. These elements are highly significant. Oil is the symbol of blessing and consecration in the Old Testament. Wine is at the centre of the Paschal liturgy. These holy things should not be placed in contact with death, according to the attitude of the Law, but here they are applied to the wounds of a half-dead man. And this is the point. The Samaritan goes beyond the stipulations of the Law. It is not possible to love within the parameters of the Law. It is not possible to care for humanity within the parameters of the Law. It is Jesus, ultimately who is the true Good Samaritan. He is the one who thinks differently and defies all expectations placed on him from the perspective of the Law. The Samaritan uses the things that he possesses, oil, wine and money, to bring about good, to effect salvation. This is what Jesus wishes to teach us with this parable: that we must go beyond the Law, that we must shatter our customary worldview, that we must give of ourselves in order to love. Is it ever possible to love truly without going beyond our own comfort zones? Is it ever possible to do an act of genuine compassion without infringing on something that we once considered to be untouchable?

My preconceived ideas and rules of behaviour prevent me from following Jesus, they prevent me from following the way of love.

This is not to say that rules are of no use; it is simply to recognize that there is a rule that transcends all other rules: the rule of compassion. This rule, in fact, gives senses to all other rules. The fulfilment of the Law, after all, is love. In order to love another person, we cannot be bound by taboos, by schemes, by stipulations. Very often the rules that I subscribe to prevent me from loving; they prevent me from following the Lord Jesus. Very often the rules that I follow in order to give myself a sense of self-security become prison walls that prevent me from being able to love.

The parable reveals that our worldly goods are destined to be used in acts of love.

This Gospel encourages us to enter into the very logic of salvation. The Samaritan discovers why he has oil in his possession: to give relief to the stricken. He discovers why he has wine: not to drink but to disinfect the wounds of the afflicted. Why do I have worldly goods? Why do I have money? In order to love. This is the surprise of this parable. It challenges us to go beyond our preconceptions. I believed that my worldly goods were destined for another purpose, but now I know what the Lord intends me to do with them! Let us be transported by this Samaritan to a new way of thinking about things; to a new way of using the things that we possess. The Samaritan shows us that the things we believe we knew must in reality be learned from scratch.