Deuteronomy 30: 10-14; Colossians 1: 15-20; Luke 10: 25-37
“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your strength and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself,”
What does it mean to love God with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind? How do we love our neighbor as ourself? How do we learn to love? These are important questions. These are questions which reveal to us what it means to be Christian.
Each one of us is created in God’s image within a family. The family is important to us for it images God for us. God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a relational being. Our God is a God who lives in love, who is love. We are born into a family in order that we might learn about love. In our families we are supposed to learn to love ourselves, to love one another, but most importantly of all, to love and serve God.
The family is so important that when God chose to become flesh he came to live in a human family. Mary and Joseph were chosen to parent Jesus, the Son of God. They were chosen partly for their ability to be good parents. They were chosen mainly because of their unselfish love which they had for God, and for each other. We look to them as a model of holiness, a model of happiness, a model of love for our human family. As the patrons of this parish we look in a special way to the Holy Family as a model for us of how to live as family.
In a family we are supposed to learn about life. We are supposed to learn about love. But sometimes, because of our own human brokenness, we do not learn how to love in our own family. Sometimes a family cannot love because of addiction or abuse. Psychology calls this the “Dysfunctional” family. But family dysfunction is sometimes used as an excuse to hide behind our own inadequacies, or our own insecurities. But we should never look at dysfunction as an excuse. We should never blame our parents, or our children, for our own problems. Rather, the knowledge of our own brokenness is an opportunity to grow; an opportunity to know and love God more deeply, an opportunity to know and love ourselves more deeply.
When we come to know our own problems, our own fears, our own anxieties, we can then begin to address them, changing ourselves, allowing God to heal us, in order that we can then begin to love ourselves and others. Then and only then can we begin to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Each one of us has problems, each one of us has obstacles to our ability to love God and neighbor. But every single one of us is given an opportunity to do something about it. That is the core of our gospel message today.
There was a man who had been beaten, stripped, and left to die by the road. Two men, a priest and a Levite, chose to pass him by. We don’t know why. Our story doesn’t tell us that. But, because they were human, each one of them had problems of their own. Perhaps they were so focused on their journey that they felt they simply couldn’t take the time to help him. Perhaps they were so caught up in their own self-pity, that they were unable to see the need of someone else. Perhaps they were simply cold and uncaring because they had never been shown any love or care in their lifetime. We don’t know why they didn’t stop. All we know is that they didn’t help this man.
But there was a third man, a Samaritan, who chose to stop and help this man. The Samaritan, because he was human, also had his own problems. He could have chosen to just pass the man by like the other two. But he was able to look beyond his own needs, his own troubles, and he saw a man who was in greater trouble than himself. Out of love for God, out of love for another human person, the Samaritan came to his aid.
Sometimes our personal problems can leave us beaten, stripped, and broken by the side of the road of life. What would it be like if no one ever stopped to help us? What if no one cared enough to help us? Jesus is teaching us that no matter what challenges we face in life, we are expected to be one who cares for our neighbor?
“Who is my neighbor?” You don’t have to look very far. Sometimes the neighbor who is in greatest need is living in your own home. Sometimes family members are hurting for whatever reason:
Maybe your spouse had a bad day at work
Maybe your child flunked a test in school
or perhaps they just fought with their best friend
Maybe your teenager is afraid of all the pressures of being a teenager,
drugs and alcohol
sex and AIDS
peer pressures and social expectations
Perhaps your spouse is frustrated with trying to juggle a career and family,
while still nurturing your relationship.
All of these things can beat us up, strip us, and leave us feeling near dead along the road and we could each use a Good Samaritan to come and help us in our need. The Samaritan in today’s story had needs of his own, but he looked beyond these needs, to meet the needs of a person in greater need. By so doing, he showed his love for God and neighbor. He loved God with his whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, by showing compassion and care for a stranger in need. Today’s gospel calls us all to be Samaritan, looking beyond our needs to the needs of others. Can you accept the challenge?
Haven’t had much time lately to read your homilies, but today I am indulging myself. Ahh the Holy Spirit knew a needed to hear what you wrote/said, and used you to post those thoughts. Thank you.
It is applicable in my own life right now, the words give me direction.
Jackie Rosson, from Texas (whose mother is Rosemary Wright of Nativity)