October 6, 2014

Gospel LK 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.”

Reflection

Go and do likewise. 

Be merciful. Don't hold back your goodness. Don't wait until tomorrow to forgive or to ask for forgiveness. Don't wait for someone else to do the good entrusted for you to do. Don't expect that someone else will do it. Go and love you neighbor as yourself. Be more patient than you should be. Be humble. Serve. Give of yourself freely without expectation of reward or return. Give of yourself completely with no regard of the cost, no concern with the price. 

Go and love your God with all of your heart, with all of your being, with all of your strength, and with all of your mind. Pray when you wake up in the morning. Pray before eating meals. Pray before going to sleep. Pray. Read God's Word - there is power in It. Receive His Body - there is power in It. Sing and pray twice. Let your life act as a prayer with every deed, every word, every moment. 

Go and wake up to the needs of all around you. In your schools. In your places of work. In your own homes. Awaken to the hearts that are broken, yearning for connections not found in screen time, instant messages, feeds, status posts or downloads. Listen. Talk. Connect.  Recognize injustice, violence, perversion in the subtle passages of life on our radios, televisions and on our devices. 

And go and do something about it. 

Now. 

Empower others to empower others in turn. Light a fire with your lives that makes the world come alive. 

"Walk out on the battlefield, see that all the pain is real. Be the hands that stop the bleeding. Seeing all these wounded souls, all they really need is hope. I'll show Your great Love is healing" (Jeremy Camp, Come Alive). 

Go and do likewise. 

GO!