July 10th - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

(Dt 30:10-14; Col 1:15-20; Lk 10:25-37)

God established his covenant with Israel to be a mutual expression of fidelity and love. But Moses has given them fair warnings to “heed the voice of the Lord,” which, he explains is clear and “very near to you.” Not only is it written in the book Moses gives them, but it is also in their mouths and hearts. God makes it plain that it is simply a matter of choosing between “life and death, blessing and curse.” In the moral life, the critical issue is not so much knowing what to do as finding the will to do what we know. Both the Psalms remind us to turn to the Lord and his words which are spirit and life. The reading from Colossians began as a hymn which proclaims that without Christ nothing has direction, nothing has purpose. Jesus, who is the incarnation of the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, is the very pattern of the universe. He is the whole meaning of the world, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. Our Gospel in Luke begins with the “Law” of the Jewish people. At the time, the law consisted of many specific commands; 613 different laws. Jesus redefines holiness through the story of the Good Samaritan – the goal of all those Old Testament laws – as mercy.

• Who in our culture do we consider our “neighbors”?
• Why was Jesus’ notion of mercy – as exemplified by this parable of the Good Samaritan – so difficult for the people of this time?
• Who are the Samaritans in our world today?
• Who is the neighbor, or group, or person that you struggle with to extend love and mercy to?
• Each of us needs to be taught by Jesus, who is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). When have you been the Good Samaritan and when have you been the victim?