XVth Sunday in Ordinary time.- Good Samaritan

15th Sunday: The Parable of Good Samaritan Lk 10: 25- 37.

We have all heard this parable of the Good Samaritan before and we know that Jesus is challenging us to act differently and love our neighbor no matter who they are. But we do not always recognize who is our neighbor in need. In the Gospel we have the image of a person beaten, stripped and left for dead. This person was ignored, forgotten and passed by.

In our lives we come across many people like this man who have been passed by who is hurt and in despair. There are spouses who are in a loveless relationship. There are teenage boys and girls who feel that they cannot talk with their parents without being criticized or scolded. There are those who work long hours and make sacrifices for their jobs and in the end are either laid off or overlooked when it comes time for that promotion. Finally there are the sick and the elderly that no one visits or calls. They may feel that there is no reason for living. There are many times in our own lives when we really need someone but feel ignored and disregarded, and we know how much it hurts.
Often it happens that we hesitate to go out and help fearing what might happen to us, like the priest and the Levite. An old man standing on a crowded bus. The young man standing next to him asked, "What time is it?" The old man refused to reply. The young man moved on. The old man’s friend, sensing something was wrong, asked, "Why were you so discourteous to the young man asking for the time?" The old man answered, "If I have given him the time of day, next he would want to know where I am going. Then we might talk about our interests. If we did that, he might invite himself to my house for dinner. If he did, he would meet my lovely daughter. If he met her, they would both fall in love. I don’t want my daughter marrying someone who can’t afford a watch." Often we behave like this man- unreasonably afraid of what would happen if I help others.
We are all called to make a difference in the lives of others. It may not involve binding the wounds of someone who has been physically beaten. But it does involve reaching out to those in need, especially those who feel that they have no one else to turn to. Jesus tells the lawyer in the gospel today that for him to inherit eternal life, he must show mercy to others like the Samaritan. We are challenged to be less fearful and judgmental and to be more compassionate and caring. Whatever good deed we do to someone, it does make a difference to that person.
Certainly, there is no written law detailing what to do if we come across someone in dire need of our help. There is no written law that says that we have to stop our car and see why a four year old is walking alongside a busy road, all alone. There is no written law that says that the old man in the walker should have someone help him take in his garbage barrels, but we know in our hearts what we need to be doing and what we need to be avoiding.
The Temple ministers, the Levite and priest know the law, at least theoretically. They also know that if they touch someone who the law said would be defiled in any way, they could not perform their service in the Temple. They had the written law, but they did not have the law of God in their hearts. So they walked pass the injured man on the side of the road.
The Good Samaritan did not base his actions on the written law. He based his actions on the Law within his heart, the Law of Love. The Samaritan’s were a mixed people, part Jewish and part pagan. The Jews called them half breeds and looked down on them for selling out to the pagans. But the Good Samaritan knew the Law better than the Temple priest and Levite. He did what a person who loves God would naturally do: care for someone who was hurting.
Let us remember that the road from Jerusalem to Jericho passes right through our home, and workplace. We are invited to be people of generosity, kindness, and mercy toward all who are suffering. A sincere smile, a cheery greeting, an encouraging word of appreciation, a heartfelt “thank you” can work wonders for a suffering soul.
What is it that we need to do to inherit eternal life ? Jesus gives us the answer: we need to look within ourselves and reach out to God’s Presence wherever our hearts find Him.