Fr Bernard writes…
Sunday 14th July 2019 15th Sunday of the Year
The first sentence of today’s gospel passage tells us that the lawyer’s question is intended as a trap, “Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus in reply appeals to the Law, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?” The lawyer responds and Jesus tells him to live what he has said. But that wasn’t enough and so now ‘to justify himself’ he asks Jesus “Who is my neighbour?” As a lawyer he would have expected a definition, instead he got a story, and an explosive story at that. We call this parable the Good Samaritan, but for the lawyer the word ‘good’ and ‘Samaritan’ would never appear in the same sentence because of the centuries of antagonism between Jews and Samaritans. A Priest and a Levite fail to go to the aid of a man mugged and left for dead, passing by on the other side of the road. There may have been reasons of ritual cleanliness that they would have used to justify their actions, but the fact remained they did not help. It is the outsider, the enemy, the Samaritan who goes beyond what was necessary in his care for the other. Jesus’ question at then end of the story is telling, “Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?” The lawyer cannot bring himself to use the word ‘Samaritan’ but says, “The one who took pity on him.” The finals words are said not just to the lawyer but to all of us, “Go, and do the same yourself.”
Please note that The Summer Celebration of Faith will take place at a later date.
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