Reflection for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Psalm 19; Colossians 1: 15-120: Luke 10 25-37

The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most popular parables of all times. Why is that?

Jesus uses a great and time-honored teaching method. People love stories! More than that, the parable evokes our sympathy for the poor man unfairly attacked by robbers, and then sadly neglected by the “religious” people of that time. One of the lessons is crystal clear. We have a duty to help our neighbor.

The Lord’s way of teaching shows respect for us, and sensitivity to our human nature. He draws us in by telling a story that touches our emotions, and He ends it according to our happiest hope. The parable shows the way God wants us to act–not by force, but by example–and the lesson is that we should do the same!.

God has always taught His people so that they know how to follow Him. In Old Testament times, He instructed them through Moses by giving them the Ten Commandments. Moses reminded the people of how easy it is to access these simple expressions of God’s will:

“It is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts;

you have only to carry it out.”

We can conclude that we have only to carry out the Lord’s will, as well.

In the New Testament, Jesus’ teaching actually “raised the bar”. In other words, we should not only help our neighbor; but we should not discriminate unfairly. The Samaritan man, detested by the Jews, helped the Jewish man! We should also be nonjudgmental and generous. The Samaritan extended himself by bandaging the victim’s wounds and arranging for his continued care.

Today we have the Ten Commandments, the Scriptures, and the Precepts of the Church to guide us. Yet it is still our decision to follow him. We have to make a firm resolution to follow Our Lord.

We need help to live out our decision. God’s grace will accompany us on our journey through life.  The living presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and especially offered for us at each Mass, will give us the strength and courage we need. The Holy Spirit will inspire us to be good examples, and others will do the same for us.

Let us ask God to transform all of us into Good Samaritans.

“For this command that I enjoin on you today

is …. something very near to you,

already in your mouths and in your hearts;

you have only to carry it out.”