Luke 10, 25-37:
Sunday, July 10th, 2022 (15 O. T. C)
This Sunday’s word of God reminds us of one of the parables that came from the heart of Jesus to “portray” the attitudes of many who, like the questioner, “think they are righteous”.
The parable of the Good Samaritan.
A learned man (knowledgeable in the Law of Moses) questions Jesus to test him on “how to attain eternal life”. Jesus answers him with something he already knows: “love of God and neighbour”. And from here, another question, ‘Who is my neighbour? Jesus answers him with a parable: a Jew who was assaulted, beaten, mistreated and abandoned.
A priest and a Levite, “officially good” people, countrymen of the mistreated Jew, when they see him, the mistreated, pass by when they see him. On the other hand, a Samaritan, a foreigner, takes pity on him, takes care of him, pays his expenses. He approaches him, he pities him. He cares for him.
Given these characters, which of them best reflects my attitude: the one who passes by or the one who stops and takes care of him?
Worried about our own things, it is easy for us to overlook the many needs around us: the sick, the elderly, the poor, people living on the street… People who need something to help them.
People who need more than just a few coins: a friendly word, a hand, a bit of our time.
It is easier for us to go our own way, and we are sure that we find the right justifications, but deep in our hearts we know that we are passing them by. We lack the neighbourly love that the Good Samaritan shows us.
Jesus always stopped and cared for the poor, the sick, the needy. Today he says to us:
“Go and do likewise”. When the time comes, he will say to us: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was sick and you visited me…”.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual
PHRASE: Do you identify with the Good Samaritan?
