HOMILY – MONDAY 27th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
By: Deacon Bill Frere
HOMILY THEME: WHY WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOUR?
Gospel – Luke 10:25-37
Deir Al-Mukhraqa Carmelite Monastery, Mt. Carmel,
Jesus was a Jew,
Your music is African,
Your car is Japanese or Korean
Your pizza is Italian,
Your furniture is Vietnamese,
Your clothing is Chinese,
Your gas is Saudi Arabian,
Your coffee is Colombian,
Your democracy is Greek,
Your numbers are Arabic,
Your letters are Latin,
I’m your neighbor,
And you still call me a foreigner, or outsider or outcast?
I know, we have heard today’s parable hundreds of times before. The Good Samaritan, the last person you’d expect to help actually helps. And we are expected/called to do the same. To act out of love and mercy and compassion! OK, got it, heard it before, I got the message. Let’s move on.
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But what if? Turn things around! What if you were the victim? At some point in our lives, many of us have unfortunately been a victim; maybe we were robbed or beat up, cheated, betrayed or abandoned, or worse. Would it really matter? Would it make a difference? Would their gender, religion, age, race, ethnicity or economic status matter? Would you want to check their wallet for their ID? Or their credit rating? Do they have a college degree? Would you really ever refuse their offer of kindness and compassion? Would you really say NO to your Good Samaritan?
Then if it doesn’t matter who your Good Samaritan is, then does it really matter who the victim is? Treat others the way you want to be treated! God’s love and mercy is boundless to all. We are called to respond with love, to see all as our neighbor, and to care for them just as God cares for us.
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