Fifteenth Sunday July 15, 2007

Deut 30: 10-14 Psalm 69 Colossians 1: 15-20 Luke 10: 25-37

And who is my neighbor?

1. In the movie based on the life of Archbishop Romero, there is a very interesting scene. One of the ladies from the rich and elite families comes to have her baby baptized. Romero graciously welcomes her and tells her that there will be baptisms on Sunday and she is most welcome.

The scene is graphic. The lady and the Archbishop are talking in the sacristy and she looks over his shoulder into the Church. It is filled with campesinos, the farmers who make up the majority of the congregation. “But Monsignor, she says, “I want a special service. I cannot have my baby baptized with those people!”

All Christians are equal, but some seem to be more equal then others. i.e. “These cannot be my neighbors whom I am supposed to love !”

1. The Story of the Good Samaritan is probably the best known Parable after the Parable of the Prodigal son. In fact the “good samaritan” has become a part of the English language as a person who helps those in need. Our familiarity with this parable may perhaps cause us to misunderstand or even miss the shock, the drama and the bitter contrast intended by Jesus when he told this parable. In today’s world it would be like

a Palestinian helping a wounded Israeli (or vice versa)

an IRA man helping a wounded Protestant

a Bosnian Muslim helping a wounded Christian.

It would be unheard of, incredible, who would have believed it possible ! These would be the first thoughts that would come to our mind.

2. Another road block to the whole impact of this parable is our usage today of “good samaritan”. We do many acts of mercy: We work in food banks, share meals on wheels, we visit hospitals and those in prison. We think we are acting as “good samaritans.” The Key to the parable however is the question of the Lawyer: “and who is my neighbor”. In asking that question, he seems to imply that there are certain people who would not qualify as neighbors. He understands that there are certain people that he is not called to help, egg. Samaritans, Gentiles etc.

There is a sharp edge to this parable of Jesus, and this sharp edge is blunted by making the Good Samaritan a universal example of unselfishness.

3. Who is my neighbor is a challenge of daily life. The authentic Good Samaritan is not merely one who helps one in need, but becomes helpless himself or herself. That is what Jesus did on the Cross. He not merely forgave our sins, but became the payment and retribution for our sins. He picked up the liability for sins we committed.

4. No wonder Paul in our second reading puts Jesus at the centre of our life and universe. This poem in Colossians ch. 1. - describes the core identity of Jesus in God. In five short verses, the Primacy of Christ is mentioned four times:

Jesus is the first born of all creation

Jesus is before all times

Jesus is the head of the body

Jesus is the first born from the dead.

Like the passage Philippians 2: 6-11, Colossians 1: 15-20 is the quintessence of Christianity. It has been said if all of scripture had been lost and we had either of these two passages, we would have the heart of our Christian faith. It is the picture of one who is first and has all. This same one give all for the love of us. He gives it on the Cross. This is the true Good Samaritan.

5. In our first reading Moses gives us the means on how to be Good Samaritans. He says “keep the law of the Lord.” He does not mention the Law given on mount Sinai, but a law that is written in our very hearts, a law not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh - in our very being. In Genesis Cain would ask, “Am I my brother’s keeper”, in our Gospel, the Lawyer asks Jesus, “and who is my neighbor.” as Christians we have Christ answering the question in action: He died so that all may become Children of God. We are not merely neighbors, we are brothers and sisters.

6. A neighbor, and therefore even more so (a fortiori), a brother of sister was a member of one’s people. A people is one community of solidarity. Everyone bears responsibility for the other. This community holds together because each one is sustained, supported by the whole community. In our parable, the Samaritan does not ask how far does his solidarity with the community extends. He just comes to the help of the wounded man.

According to the lawyer, if the question were asked: “Is the Samaritan my neighbor?” The answer would be a definite: NO. But Jesus turns the question on its head: The Samaritan makes himself a neighbor to the wounded man, even though he is not a neighbor according to rabbinic law. Jesus calls us to be a person in love, a person who is moved to the core, to his/her very heart. Then I will have found my neighbor, or rather I have been found by him. ( see: Jesus of Nazareth by Ratzinger)

On a hot Sunday morning, I will not get into social questions, but the Parable of the Good Samaritan causes me to ask questions like:

how have we in the first world robbed and plundered countries like Africa, India - see their present life styles and then walk on the other side of the street.

how is that we are less than 20% of the World population, but still consume 85% of the world’s riches, food, oil and gas ?

how that is there are so many people dying of hunger and malnutrition, and we are trying to loose weight because we are so obese?

These questions and then some would definitely come to mind as we ponder like the Lawyer: “And who is my neighbor?”