July 11, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ
“…[I]f only you heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 30:10
“[I]n [Jesus] all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross 11 (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven.” Colossians 1:19-20
"Go and do likewise." Luke 10:37c
Piety
The challenge of the Good Samaritan is ongoing in our lives. How do I help the person that has no right to my help? How do I help the person that I think is trying to rip me off? Among all the people that I would help, there is the one that forces help out of me that I do not know how to handle. I give a little to everyone. But the person who claims from me more than I want to give always leaves a bad taste in my mouth because as sure as I am that he is trying to rip me off, the voice in my heart tells me I did not do enough. It is the last drop of blood that Christ gives from the cross that leaves me feeling bad about the smallness of my heart. As sure as I am that I am being ripped off, there is no doubt that it is the voice of Christ at work in my heart that leaves me feeling uncomfortable when I have not done enough. I can never do enough until I have given Christ to the one who does not look like he needs what he is asking for. I know piety is the ability to not just listen to the voice of Christ in our hearts but it is the ability to do something about Christ’s urging us to go beyond common sense and to give until it hurts. When I listen to that voice and go beyond common sense I realize a happiness that is not had by using what I have for myself. Love is the perfect place to find God in our lives. What we do for the least one in our lives is what we do for Christ.
Study
Christ says that he loves us as much as the Father has loved him. The love of Christ is what we are challenged to in the parable of the Good Samaritan. We are challenged by Christ to live in his love. Love one another as I have loved you is a big order. He gave his life for me. I cannot hide from that fact by watering it down by saying he did it for all of us. My study is in reality a making of a decision to be the love of Christ in our world. Love one another as I have loved you. How can you say you love the God you do not see if you do not love the neighbor that you do see. A Christ love demands we share what we have with others. It is not a case of getting rid of what I do not need. If I am going to give until it hurts, I need to give from the essentials of my life. What am I holding back is what our study is all about in the honesty of our hearts.
Action
Action speaks louder than words. Show me what you have done in your charity and I will see your faith that does justice. We live in a country that spends about 80% of the energy and resources of our world. War to protect what we have has to be looked at against the love of Christ from the Cross. We need to know where we are hurting in our giving to those who need if we want to be able to rest in our love of Christ. His love will not let us pass by those who need our help. I do not earn the right to protect my comfort zone by how hard I work. I earn the right to share the love of Christ in the abundance of what God’s love and God’s gifts make possible in my life. WE are called to be the Good Samaritans of today.
