Reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C 2022

 Today, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is interesting to note that the man who showed compassion to the injured man was a despised Samaritan. The Jewish people of Jesus' time did not look kindly upon Samaritans because they did not adhere to the practice of Jewish law. However, in this instance , a Jewish priest and a Levite saw the injured man and continued on their way. It was the Samaritan who stopped and helped the injured man. Jesus then asked the lawyer, " which of these three in your opinion was neighbor  to the man fell in with the robbers?" We all know the answer to that question - the Samaritan - but did we hear the remainder of the directive given by Jesus ?  He said:" Then go and do the same."
       How can we  make this parable applicable to our own lives? For any of us, the Samaritan could represent a person we do not particularly like, against whom we are prejudiced or maybe even fear. It may be one who comes from another race or religion. God's law is written in our hearts -.reminding us of our obligation to be kind and thoughtful to everyone, and to be generous with our time, energy, and financial resources. Being a follower of Christ requires faith - a faith that tells us that all  people, regardless of race, color or creed, are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
    Sometimes we act like the lawyer, the priest or the Levite by reducing God's command of love to something less. We want to rule out situations that make us uncomfortable or that go beyond what we think is our natural ability. By doing this, we rule out the love that we are commanded to show. We cannot love God with our whole heart, mind, strength, and soul if we do not love our neighbor. Conversely, we cannot love our neighbor if we do not love God. We must remember that, by ourselves, we can do nothing, but with God all things are possible.

God bless you all
Fr. Dominic
Your brother in Christ