Comfort and distaste

Comfort and distaste are both present in the messages today from the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Moses positions the Law and the Commandments of God as a revelation of the Will of God for the Israelites. God has not kept the Law distant from the people but has written the Law in their hearts. This passage from the Book of Deuteronomy prepares the dialogue which Jesus has with a lawyer, who may have been a student of Jesus, about how to practice the Great Commandment of God. The psalmist appeals to the mercy and steadfast Love of God to revive his heart as he is experiencing suffering and pain. The call to God in time of distress will also underlie the parable which is related by Jesus in the Gospel from Luke. Friar Jude Winkler notes that the portion of the letter of Paul to the Colossians which we read today is a likely part of a hymn which is about trying to figure out the nature of Jesus. The idea of Jesus, the Divine in a human body, would be distasteful to Greek thought which placed the spiritual invisible universe above the visible world. A visible God who had dominion over the powers of the spiritual world from Creation would be very much against the mainline thinking of Greeks. Commandments from God are ancient and the great commandment which Jesus prompts the lawyer to proclaim is rooted in the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9. The question of Who is my neighbour is addressed by Father Larry Gillick SJ as he casts Jesus in the role of a hated Samaritan who acts as neighbour in response to the great commandment which is direction for all people not just the descendants of Israel. Father Larry notes that Mark Twain spoke of this parable as the part of the Bible which we wish everyone else has read. The role of the priest and the Levi in this parable are interpreted by Father Larry as an answer to the question about the relative importance of service of God in liturgy and ritual observance ( as might have concerned the priest and Levite) and service of God in the people placed in our lives now as in the example of the Good Samaritan. We are reminded today of the recent action of Pope Francesco in calling attention to the plight of the immigrants and refugees of the world. These people are lying beside the road today needing human help from we who know the Great Commandment.