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| “The Good Samaritan” by Johann Karl Loth, 1676 |
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.”
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Commentary on
Dt 30:10-14
This section of the book of Deuteronomy is part of Moses’ last
discourse. In this passage he is
referring to Mosaic Law which has been chronicled earlier in the book. The gist of his challenge to the people is
that the Law, which in turn is an integral part of fulfilling the covenant with
God, also established earlier in the book, is not difficult to keep. It is in most cases something they are
already doing (“…already in your
mouths and in your hearts”)
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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.
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Commentary on
Ps 69:14, 17,
30-31, 33-34, 36, 37
Psalm 69 is a lament. In
this passage the song asks God for help in dire straits and expresses trust
that the prayer will be answered.
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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.
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Commentary on
Ps 19:8, 9, 10,
11
Psalm 19 is a hymn of praise. In this passage we give praise to
God’s gift of the Law which guides us in our daily lives. The hymn also extols
the virtue of obedience and steadfastness to the Law and its precepts. The
passage also reflects the idea that following God’s statutes leads to peace and
prosperity.
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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.
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Commentary on
Col 1:15-20
St. Paul, in this selection, now begins to address some confusion
in teachings that have been addressed to the Colossians, specifically about
angles and their place in the hierarchy. The evangelist reaffirms Christ’s
primacy and his relationship as God’s only Son with authority over all things
(note – “visible and invisible”). We see in this statement a clear vision of
the Lord’s authority over us and our souls and his rule both in heaven and on
earth.
“As the poetic arrangement
indicates, these lines are probably an early Christian hymn, known to the
Colossians and taken up into the letter from liturgical use (cf Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16). They
present Christ as the mediator of creation (Colossians 1:15-18a) and
of redemption (Colossians
1:18b-20). There is a parallelism between firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15) and
firstborn from the dead (Colossians
1:18).”[4]
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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.”
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Commentary on
Lk 10:25-37
In this passage from St. Luke’s Gospel, we find Jesus being
challenged by a person referred to as a “scholar”. It seems clear that this man has a good idea
of how Jesus is likely to respond to his initial question about what he must do
to inherit eternal life. As soon as the
man tells Jesus what the law says, the scholar asks for still more clarification
asking “And who is my neighbor?”
The illustration Jesus uses in answering him does clarify the
answer and at the same time uses a cultural tension to heighten the
lesson. First he says a Priest of the
Jewish Temple passes the victim of robbery by, one who is most scrupulous in
observing the letter of the Law, next a member of the priestly class, a Levite
does the same. The one who helps the
victim, presumably a Jew, is a member of the Samaritan culture, antagonists of
the Jewish people. In this way the Lord
provides a moral lesson along with an explanation of the Law.
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Reflection:
For
the past week in the daily Mass readings we have been hit time and again with
the notion that we are called to be disciples and we are sent into the world to
proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
of God
In
the first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear Moses exhorting the Hebrew people
to follow the Law laid down for them. He
tells them it is not an impossible thing to ask. Rather it is easily within their grasp – they
can feel the rightness of it in their hearts.
As
sort of an introduction to the Gospel, we hear St. Paul
This
great introduction flows into the story of the Good Samaritan, a story it turns
out, that is a refinement of our understanding of the Great Commandment. It helps us understand that it is all mankind
that we are joined to in God. The Lord
did not just make us Jews, or Christians, or Pagans, or Islamic, or Buddhist,
or even atheists. We are all one in the
eyes of God and as such our obligation as Disciples of Christ is to help those
in need regardless of their creed or lack thereof.
Our
Great Commandment is reiterated today.
It is an exclamation point on this past week’s injunction to go into the
world with the Good News. Strengthened
with God’s grace and bolstered with his word we only need to act on our
convictions.
Pax
[2]
The picture today is “The Good Samaritan” by Johann Karl Loth, 1676
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB Footnote on Colossians 1:15-20
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