The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to see the contrast between the prompting of the Spirit to act with love and mercy and our complacency to accept the norms of our culture that emphasize secular success.
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy is an exhortation to choose Life.
* [30:14] In your mouth: that is, memorized and recited; cf. 6:7; 11:19. And in your heart: internalized and appropriated; cf. 6:6; 11:18. (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 69 is a prayer for deliverance from persecution.
* [Psalm 69] A lament complaining of suffering in language both metaphorical (Ps 69:2–3, 15–16, the waters of chaos) and literal (Ps 69:4, 5, 9, 11–13, exhaustion, alienation from family and community, false accusation). In the second part the psalmist prays with special emphasis that the enemies be punished for all to see (Ps 69:23–29). Despite the pain, the psalmist does not lose hope that all be set right, and promises public praise (Ps 69:30–36). The Psalm, which depicts the suffering of the innocent just person vividly, is cited often by the New Testament especially in the passion accounts, e.g., Ps 69:5 in Jn 15:25; Ps 69:22 in Mk 15:23, 36 and parallels and in Jn 19:29. The Psalm prays not so much for personal vengeance as for public vindication of God’s justice. There was, at this time, no belief in an afterlife where such vindication could take place. Redress had to take place now, in the sight of all. (Psalms, PSALM 69, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Colossians is a hymn to the Supremacy of Christ.
* [1:15–20] 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. Phil 2:6–11; 1 Tm 3:16). They present Christ as the mediator of creation (Col 1:15–18a) and of redemption (Col 1:18b–20). There is a parallelism between firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15) and firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18). While many of the phrases were at home in Greek philosophical use and even in gnosticism, the basic ideas also reflect Old Testament themes about Wisdom found in Prv 8:22–31; Wis 7:22–8:1; and Sir 1:4. See also notes on what is possibly a hymn in Jn 1:1–18. (Colossians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
* [10:25–37] In response to a question from a Jewish legal expert about inheriting eternal life, Jesus illustrates the superiority of love over legalism through the story of the good Samaritan. The law of love proclaimed in the “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:27–36) is exemplified by one whom the legal expert would have considered ritually impure (see Jn 4:9). Moreover, the identity of the “neighbor” requested by the legal expert (Lk 10:29) turns out to be a Samaritan, the enemy of the Jew (see note on Lk 9:52). (Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
George Butterfield shares text from Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do his will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.”
Jesus stands the question “who is my neighbor” on its head. The real question is, who am I to be a neighbor to? The answer is obvious. Jesus’ teaching is not mysterious or remote. We only have to carry it out. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “God desires to be our neighbor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"God our Lord wished to be called our neighbor. The Lord Jesus Christ meant that he was the one who gave help to the man lying half-dead on the road, beaten and left by the robbers. The prophet said in prayer, 'As a neighbor and as one's own brother, so did I please' (Psalm 34:14 ). Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature, the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of our neighbor. He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God's goodness. He has compassion on us so that we may enjoy him completely, while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy him. (excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 10:25-37 comments that the Church Fathers saw this parable as more than an example of how we should love our neighbor. They saw Jesus as the good Samaritan, the One who has come to care for each of us who have been battered by sin and the powers of evil. He is the One who finds us lying “half-dead” by the side of the road (Luke 10:30). And he is the One who bandages our wounds and carries us to the “inn,” the Church.
Jesus’ parable is a call to extend ourselves to the many people in the world today who are hurting and in need of help. No doubt it’s challenging. But remembering what the Lord has done for us can move us to become more generous and compassionate, just like the good Samaritan in the parable. Today at Mass, thank the Lord for having treated you with so much mercy. Then ask him to show you how to be a good Samaritan to someone who needs your love, compassion, and care. “Lord, help me to be merciful as you are merciful.” (Meditation on Luke 10:25-37, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler contrasts the relationship of the Israelites with God and the fear of the pagan people who did not know what the gods wanted. The teaching of the Colossians needed to be aware of the Greek understanding of God at the end of the universe and their elevation of the spiritual over the material. Friar Jude notes the conflict between adherence to the purification ritual and the needs of the unclean enemy in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
<Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that God gave St. Francis to history in the pivotal period when Western civilization began to move into rationality, functionality, consumerism, and perpetual war. Francis was himself a soldier, and the son of a cloth merchant; he came from the culture he critiqued, and he challenged these emerging systems at the beginning of their now eight centuries of world dominance. Rather than fighting the systems directly and risk becoming their mirror image, Francis just did things differently. He is the inspiration for this core principle of the Center for Action and Contemplation: The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. [1]
p>The early Franciscan friars and Poor Clares wanted to be gospel practitioners instead of merely “word police,” “inspectors,” or “museum curators” as Pope Francis calls some clergy. Both Francis and Clare offered their rules as a forma vitae, or form of life. They saw orthopraxy (correct practice) as a necessary parallel, and maybe even precedent, to verbal orthodoxy (correct teaching). History has shown that many Christians never get to the practical implications of their beliefs. “Why aren’t you doing what you say you believe?” the prophet invariably asks. As the popular paraphrase of a line from Francis’s Rule goes, “Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek openness to the Spirit of Love that presents opportunities to act as Good Samaritans and address the needs of others.
References
Colossians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/1?15
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/071022.html
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 30 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/30?10
Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?25
Meditation on Luke 10:25-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/07/10/436712/
Psalms, PSALM 69. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/69?14
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Joy of Not Counting. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-joy-of-not-counting-2022-07-10/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go and Do Likewise. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved July 10, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jul10
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