Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading

Deuteronomy 30,10-14

if you obey the voice of Yahweh your God, by keeping his commandments and decrees written in the book of this Law, and if you return to Yahweh your God with all your heart and soul. 'For this Law which I am laying down for you today is neither obscure for you nor beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, "Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we can hear and practise it?" Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, "Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we can hear and practise it?" No, the word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to put into practice.

Psalmody

Psalm 18

Antiphon

The word of the Lord is pure and everlasting.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.

No speech, no word,
no voice is heard

yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

There he has placed a tent for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,
rejoices like a champion to run its course.

At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;
to the furthest end of the sky is its course.
There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,
it gives wisdom to the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right,
they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,
it gives light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever.
The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.

They are more to be desired than gold, than the purest of gold
and sweeter are they than honey, than honey from the comb.

So in them your servant finds instruction;
great reward is in their keeping.

But who can detect all his errors?
From hidden faults acquit me.

From presumption restrain your servant
and let it not rule me.

Then shall I be blameless,
clean from grave sin.

May the spoken words of my mouth,
the thoughts of my heart,

win favour in your sight, O Lord,
my rescuer, my rock!

Second Reading

Colossians 1,15-20

He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers -- all things were created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all things hold together, and he is the Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way; because God wanted all fullness to be found in him and through him to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross.

Reading of the Gospel

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Luke 10,25-37

And now a lawyer stood up and, to test him, asked, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?' He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.' Jesus said to him, 'You have answered right, do this and life is yours.' But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?' In answer Jesus said, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have." Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?' He replied, 'The one who showed pity towards him.' Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself.'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Yesterday I was buried with Christ,
today I rise with you who are risen.
With you I was crucified;
remember me, Lord, in your kingdom.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Homily

The Gospel proclaimed in todays' liturgy contains a very fundamental question, that of the lawyer of the Law, about eternal life. Though it was a way to test him and put him in difficulty, as in many other times, Jesus answers him referring to Holy Scriptures. In this case Jesus recalls the very heart of the Law: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." The lawyer answered correctly but, in front of Jesus' invitation: "Do this and you will live." and wanting to appear righteous he said, "And who is my neighbour?" His aim is to put some limits to a love introducing a ranking of those we meet. By doing so the borders of love tighten, and we tend to love some and exclude others.
Jesus disrupts all rankings and affirms the primacy of love for the weak, the poor, those afflicted by evil, beyond any other qualification. And the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho is not an exception, rather it represents all the roads in the world. Besides, globalization has multiplied the number of people his by violence: men, women, children, young people, the elderly ... all that are afflicted and abandoned wherever in the world. Sadly, also the number of those who see this reality and turn their heads away, like that priest and Levite of the parable, and they continue on their way as if nothing happened. Jesus points to a priest and a Levite - and not just anyone - as examples of harshness in the face of the half-dead man to underline an unacceptable scandal: separating faith and worship from the love of the poor. The two characters have perhaps finished worshipping God and are on their way home: they have fulfilled the rite but are incapable of pietas (love) towards the half-dead man. Jesus inextricably links the altar to the poor: these are two inseparable loves. Both to be lived - as the Law states - with all one's strength, with all one's mind and with all one's heart.
The Samaritan, a foreigner considered an enemy, sees the half-dead man and shows what it means to feel "compassion" as he "takes care of him." Taking care means forging bonds that involve viscerally, as the very etymology of the term suggests: cor urat, a heart that burns. Caring binds, unites, makes one aware of the mutual need for love and is a concrete sign of pietas, of God's own compassion. And by saying to the innkeeper: "when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend," the Samaritan shows superabundant love. It is this superabundance that the world needs in this time of widespread war. And the Church - truly similar to the Gospel inn - becomes the place of encounter and care: here the half-dead man, the Samaritan and the innkeeper weave a caring relationship that leads to healing and the building of a 'we' that saves. Even the lawyer had to recognize the power of the gesture. At the end of the conversation, he did not want to pronounce the word "Samaritan" but acknowledged that neighbour was "The one who showed him compassion." From this, Jesus' imperative: "Go and do likewise."