15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Sunday 10th July 2016)
Receive My Mercy…inherit My Kingdom – (Luke 10:25-37)
As the preparations get underway for our annual Summer Festival this is a very timely Gospel to reflect upon. The parable of the Good Samaritan calls each of us to go beyond our duties and obligations and to act out of the love we have been given. It is significant that the man in dialogue with Jesus is a teacher of the law. When he is asking his questions to Jesus, St Luke describes how the lawyer is – the first time the lawyer tries ‘to disconcert Jesus’ and with the second question the lawyer ‘was anxious to justify himself.’
Since time began all sorts of people (even Holy Joes) have tried to test God. There is something within the human condition that seeks to know our limits – this indeed can be very beneficial when we use this to go beyond ourselves in serving others. The flip side of this is that sometimes we only want to do what is necessary or what is the least that we can do in order to get over the line. The priest and Levite, who passed by the beaten up man, may have done so because they knew that they would be unclean afterwards and ‘technically’ were within their rights to avoid the man – the approach of Jesus is that knowing the law is meaningless if we do not carry it out in love.
The aspect of the second question by the lawyer is interesting because it gives us another insight into the human condition. Was the lawyer anxious to justify himself in order to save face in public or was he anxious to experience the love and mercy of God? So many people are looking for that personal relationship that gives meaning to their lives and as so often is the case we can let our anxieties and doubts weigh down upon us. Jesus the healer is often seen as the Good shepherd or even the Good Samaritan so that as he comes across the hurt person or seeks out the lost sheep he brings that person closer to the house of God where he/she can recover. This is easy for Jesus to do as he is God – it’s a little bit harder for us if we do not see that person who is hurt or is lost – that person may mask it well through their anxieties and doubts. However, as we prepare ourselves for the festival of God’s love, it’s not too late to invite that family member or friend to experience that personal relationship with God – to “Receive my mercy … inherit my kingdom.”
Rev. Charles Lafferty S.A.C.