Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10, 25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus 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.”
Eternal life
1. What must I do? This is how the Gospel begins and Jesus makes it clear that the key to reach eternity is not by “doing” things, but by faithfully living our convictions and having a personal relationship with God. I once read a text by Pope Benedict XVI which said that the great temptation for priests is to become social workers, neglecting the function of being mediators between God and people. I extend this to all of us Christians. There is always the temptation of neglecting our intimate relationship with Jesus by doing and doing things, which are good and fruitful, but which can lead us to constant activity, without loving what we do. Because loving someone is not only about doing things for them, but also about spending time together and sharing life with them. The same thing happens in our relationship with God.
2. My neighbor. Through the parable we understand that our neighbor is the person who is close to us. It is very possible that your neighbor in your daily life may be very distant because you connect through a screen, rather than sitting at the table together. But it’s also possible that you may be neglecting your relationship with a person close to you at work, at home or in the neighborhood, in order to maintain an intense relationship with people on your cell phone. Perhaps today you could sit at the dinner table with your family without looking at your cell phone, so you will be able to look one another in the eyes again. Maybe you haven’t looked at one another like that for a long time!
3. Samaritan. Being a good person means helping others without regard to who they are. It is having the ability to sympathize, to get off your high horse and not look down on people. To be a good Samaritan is to be concerned about others and to be caring. It implies really looking at the other person and knowing how to pause on your way to help those who do not know which path to take. Today, think of the persons who helped you to get up and go on in life, and pray for them. And if you can thank them, do so, because they were, and still are, great examples from whom you have learned to help, to lift up those who cross your path and cannot go on in life.
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And don’t forget that something good is on the way!
