WATCHWORD:
(The expert in the law asked Jesus) “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c]and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37
Meditation:
Not My Problem
The Good Samaritan is a familiar story. Passing by on the other side. How many of us have done that over the years? Maybe not as dramatically as the parable that Jesus tells, but nevertheless real. Passing by on the other side is an easy way out. It is similar to saying I haven’t got time to do this, or I am not qualified, or maybe I could get sued, or better yet, I might get dirty. Or, perhaps, not my problem. Indeed!
Whatever the reason, passing by on the other side is a standard. We all have done it at one time or another. We divert our eyes, we cross over to the other side of the street. We don’t want to be inconvenienced and we are not sure we want to get involved in another’s trouble. We don’t want our life interrupted.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together, says that “we must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions (and needs).” How we react to those ‘interruptions’ will be a measure of our humanity and our value.
Murray Bodo, Franciscan Priest and Author, tells us that “life is a gift for giving away.” But, we hoard it and we hold it close. We fear that giving a piece of our life would diminish us, somehow make us less of a person.
Bodo continues – “But, once you throw it from you and lift your spirit up, nothing you do matters quite so much as freedom from life returning again and haunting you to be someone else instead of no one.” Once we have decided not to “pass on the other side”, and maybe get our hands a bit dirty, we are not the same person.
The gift of giving feeds on itself, it grows, it is contagious. Your eyesight improves, you see where using your life-gift can matter. Your heart, too, grows and motivates you to reach out, to spend life energy, to lift that person up to be part of humanity. And, in that process, you are lifted up.
God has gifted us without measure, and yet, we act like our gifts are of our own creation. The gifts that we call ours, are from God and we use them, but we cannot claim them.
There is a solution. Give it away and see how is grows.
Be at peace. God has gifted you with life. Pass it on!
Bulletin Board:
Poetry — From out friend Mac McKinley.
Poetry can be found everywhere, even in the breath of a cold winters air.
It sometimes emerges in a dream or perhaps when we feel the warmth of the sunbeam.
The words often occur as a gift from on high; certainly, something the Poet cannot buy.
Childhood memories of birth, love, death or what might seem despair,
This is and of all things does poetry care.
Then no matter what; the words should end in hope. As time marches forward;
Tomorrow always finds a way to cope.
There is no formula to success, it just occurs, words emerge in rhyme and cadence be.
Somehow feel the magic and love of poetry.
Closing Prayer:
Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Eternal Word, only begotten Son of God,
Teach me true generosity.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve.
To give without counting the cost,
To fight heedless of wounds,
To labor without seeking rest,
To sacrifice myself without thought of any reward,
Save the knowledge that I have done your will.
Amen.
