HOMILÍAS/HOMILIES
Homily 1
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle C
Readings: 1) Deuteronomy 30: 10-14 2) Colossians 1:15-20 3) Luke 10: 25-37
In the Gospel Reading we just heard, Our Lord used what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan to convince all those who choose to listen that it is not enough to proclaim in words what we, as Christians, should accept through faith. Charity towards our neighbor and love of Goad are more than just poetic words. It is not enough to know, nor is preaching or teaching enough. We need to act. Nevertheless, he also shows us that a good Christian should know how to act quietly, without being noticed, without doing things just so they can be seen. We have all seen and heard people who proclaim in a loud voice, “Something has to be done for our neighbor.” Proclaiming this, in itself, is not bad. But it can become something sinful when it is done so that others will see us, so that others will take note of us. Let us learn to do charitable acts with discretion , without proclaiming loudly what we do so that others will see and know.
This parable is the answer that Jesus gave to the scholar in the Law who asked “who is my neighbor?” The Lord narrates the parable and afterwards asks him: Which of the three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” The lawyer’s answer should have been simple. But his prejudice against Samaritans did not allow him, even after hearing the parable, to say, “The Samaritan was the most compassionate”. He contented himself with responding: “The one who treated him with mercy.” This answer, although correct, probable saddened the Lord because it showed that the scholar’s heart still did not feel charity. Nevertheless, Jesus responded: “Go and do likewise.” In other words, be like the Samaritan.
The Lord speaks to us here about sins of omission. Those who passed by did not directly hurt the wounded man. What happened is that they were only interested in their own lives. They did not want to do something that might interfere with their own lives or cause them problems. Their sin was in passing by. The charity that they did not show merited the Lord’s comments in this parable. What this tells us is that when we do good works we should do them for God. Christ is waiting for us in that needy person whatever the nationality, legal status or economic situation. God places our neighbor before us, with his or her concrete needs, in the road of our life. The Christian has to do all that is possible to help their needy neighbor. But let us not expect that we will be able to do heroic acts such as the Good Samaritan did. Frequently, we encounter in our lives simple things that we can do for our neighbor. Sometimes just a smile or a friendly word is enough. Sometimes listening carefully and with patience is enough. Let us learn to give our time to meet the needs of others.
Jesus concluded this lesson with kind words for the scholar of the Law, and for us: “Go and do likewise.” Which means, “Be the intelligent, active and merciful neighbor of everyone you encounter who is in need.” Let us remember that this words are directed towards us also. Let us be more like the Good Samaritan. Let us go through life with a heart full of charity, without looking at differences or discriminating against others.