Love, inclusion and compassion (Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Cycle C)

The parable of the Good Samaritan challenges us to recognize and honor God in the other. However, more than fulfilling the Mosaic law of love thy neighbor, Jesus teaches us some home truths that are truly confronting and incisive. Samaritans were considered outsiders and outcasts by ordinary Jews. Yet in the parable, it was the Samaritan who was the unlikely hero. For he showed love and compassion to the person in need. On the contrary, the priest and the Levite who were considered the respected class of society and the custodians of tradition were found wanting. They put tradition and law in the way of basic human love. The holders of tradition failed the test of good neighbor while the outcast proved himself an unlikely champion of basic human decency, mercy and compassion. We can no longer understand the parable just in terms of being kind to those in need. It is an incisive lesson that cuts our prejudice to the quick. The lawyer who posed the question to Jesus “who is my neighbor” went away with much more than what he had bargained for. He was challenged to be the neighbor and to be one like the Samaritan. It would have been a profound and indeed humbling revelation: The villain had become a hero and vice versa. The meaning of goodness, humanity, and moral uprightness had been redefined. The boundaries of acceptance, inclusion and love had been extended. Jesus had presented to him a radical new way of seeing, acting and relating. So, what does it mean for us who have listened to the parable again today in the context of our lives and relationships? Are we similarly challenged in our thinking, attitudes and behavior? What are the assumptions and prejudices in society and in each of us that need to be questioned by the confronting and incisive lesson of the Gospel? Who are the Samaritans of our time? Who are those that we consider unworthy and incapable of conforming to our moral norms and standards? Who are those that are considered outsiders and therefore not entitled to what we are entitled to? Jesus challenges us that to journey to the God of love, inclusion and compassion, we need to make that missionary journey to our brothers and sisters. May we grow to the radical new way of thinking, acting and relating that will truly reflect the vision of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior • AE