Gospel: 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.”
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Reflection:
A man said to his beloved, “I love you until the end of my life.”
However, when the man saw another woman who winked at him. He left his beloved
whom he promised to love until the end to be with the another woman who winked at him. How do you love? Do you love like this man or you love like God?
In the gospel a man fell victim to robbers and they left the dying man on
the road to die. The priest and the levite passed by but did not help the dying
man. Either one of them were expected to
help the dying man because both were serving in the temple of God. But they did
not.
Then came the Samaritan who walked on the same road. Unlike the priest
and the levite who ignored the dying man. This samaritan took time to help the
dying man and the Samaritan even brought the dying man to an inn so that he
could be nursed.
What if the Samaritan did not pass by? The victim may have died due to
the indifference of the priest and Levite. Fortunately the Samaritan who was
the exemplar of perfect love which is the love of God passed by otherwise the
victim might have died.
Perhaps, many of us who profess to love and worship God fail to translate
this love to an authentic love for our neighbor. Why? Because when the going
gets tough many of us simply ignore the neighbor in need. Thus, we become like
the priest and levite who indifferently walked away from the dying man.
The Lord wants us to always be like the Samaritan who went out of his way
to help the dying man. For the simple reason that the action of the Samaritan represents the
love and mercy of God. Love and mercy that we must all emulate. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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