Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Welcome to the Blessed Sacrament Homilies podcast, where our mission is to help everyone recognize and experience the presence of God. We hope you are nourished and encouraged by the Word. Thank you for joining us.
[00:00:24] Speaker B: The Lord be with you.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
[00:00:30] Speaker A: Glory to you, O Lord.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: 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.
[00:02:35] Speaker C: Was neighbor to the robber's victim?
He answered, the one who treated him with mercy.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: Jesus said to him, go and do likewise.
[00:02:49] Speaker C: The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
It's always important for us to remember that sacred scripture, and particularly the Gospels and the stories of Jesus are always living stories. They're not just something that happened in the past that we reflect upon, but they create an understanding for us that is alive today so we can insert ourselves into the story to fully understand the depth of what Jesus was trying to share.
And this is one of those stories that requires us to be reflective and to think, because I can't even come close to emphasizing what a good Jew of Jesus time would have thought of Samaritans.
They were dismissed. You didn't have to have anything to do with a Samaritan. And in fact, most people probably would say they hated Samaritans.
Yet this is the example that Jesus uses of a person that acted with mercy, a good neighbor?
[00:04:06] Speaker B: Well, since we don't have necessarily any issue, I don't think any of us.
[00:04:10] Speaker C: Do with Samaritans, it's important for us to fill in that blank with our own type of person.
[00:04:18] Speaker B: It could be an individual we know.
It could be a category of persons.
[00:04:25] Speaker C: Based on their nationality or on their race, on their political affiliation, or worst case scenario, they might even be Ohio State fans.
And we need to insert that kind of person into this story for ourselves to fully grasp what Jesus is trying to tell us.
And that is that there is no one that is outside of God's love and presence.
And there is no one that we should sit in complete judgment of and be able to dismiss.
Because sometimes we can learn valuable lessons about mercy and love from the least likely, at least in our own minds, of people.
And that if we truly want to be his disciples, which is kind of what this individual was asking Jesus about, then we need to treat others with that same mercy, no matter who they.
[00:05:32] Speaker B: Are, no matter what category they fall.
[00:05:35] Speaker C: In, that we easily dismiss.
They are just as deserving of our love and compassion.
This gospel, when we allow ourselves to do that, is probably one of the.
[00:05:48] Speaker B: Most challenging ones we ever hear, because.
[00:05:51] Speaker C: It reminds us that we are all created in God's image and all deserve our seat.
