Gospel Reflection 2021/2022
The Parable of the Good Samaritan.
‘The Good Samaritan’ is one of the famous parables of Jesus. It is not only dearly known within the Church, but it is also fondly quoted outside the Church. The term ‘good Samaritan’ is widely used to describe ‘a person who is compassionate and helpful to another person in distress’. This parable is highly regarded as an exemplary and shining example of love, mercy and compassion.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is not just another story of moral excellence.
For us Christians, Jesus’ parables are always more than what meets the eye. Every parable of Jesus – though it may seem short and simple – always points us to the deeper reality of God’s marvellous truth. We must never take Jesus’ parables superficially at face level.
Reflecting on this Parable of the Good Samaritan, the great Church Fathers – St Ambrose, St Augustine and St Jerome – univocally teach that:
“The Good Samaritan is JESUS.
The man who has fallen into the hands of thieves represents HUMAN NATURE subjugated by the devil.
Neither the law nor the prophets can help.
Only the Saviour can heal the spiritual wound of humanity.
The inn is THE CHURCH; the oil and wine poured on the wounds are the SACRAMENTS.
Individually and collectively WE are the innkeeper.”
(1) We are all the victims of the brigands.
Yes, we, the fallen humankind, are the man fallen into the hands of the brigands. We have been – in one way or another – assaulted, corrupted and subjugated by the devil. None of us are as innocent and holy as we think we are. Since the creation of the world, we – have time and again – consented to sin, conspired with evil and colluded with the devil; _‘sin entered into the world… and death through sin…’_ [Rm 5: 12]
Our sin is so great, our wound is so deep, our brokenness is so severe, and our wretchedness is so crippling… By our own efforts, it is totally impossible for us to save our own souls or to pay the ransom for our sins. Neither the law nor the prophets of the Old Testament can save the fallen humanity. Only Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world can deliver us from sin, death, evil and the devil.
(2) Jesus is our Divine Physician and the Saviour of our souls.
Indeed, Jesus is our Physician and our Saviour with a Heart full of love, mercy and compassion. The Gospel reading [Lk 10: 33] tells us that, ‘The Samaritan (Jesus)… was MOVED WITH COMPASSION… when He saw the man (fallen humanity: you and me)…’
With Jesus, no sin is too great, no wound is too deep, no brokenness is beyond repair, and no wretchedness is beyond redemption. All we need to do is to acknowledge that we are sinners, confess our sins, show Him our brokenness, our sores and our wounds, and allow Him to touch us and heal us. He who refuses to show the Divine Physician his wounds will never be healed.
(3) The Church is the hospital for the souls.
The Good Samaritan (Jesus) poured oil and wine (Sacraments) on the man’s wound and entrusted the wounded man to the inn (the Church). Therefore, the Church is the primary and necessary means of salvation. [cf. Lk 10: 34]
Jesus is one with His Church (the Mystical Body of Christ). He heals and saves in the Church, with the Church and through the Church. And He heals and saves – in person, in presence and in power – through the Sacraments of the Church. Therefore, Pope Francis has always seen the Church as the ‘field hospital for the vulnerable’.
The Good Samaritan (Jesus) has promised to return to the inn (the Church). As in this Parable and in many other parts of the Scriptures, Jesus has promised to return – Jesus will come back to the Church and for the Church. [cf. Lk 10: 35]
(4) We are the medical assistants of Jesus.
St Ignatius of Loyola would say, “We are sinners yet called.” Indeed, we, who are the victims of the brigands, are also called to be the medical assistants of Jesus. As Church, we are entrusted individually and collectively by Jesus, to be the companions of each other on this journey of healing and salvation.
The Good Samaritan (Jesus) handed two denarii to the innkeepers (you and me) saying, “Take care of him… and on my way back I will make good any extra expenses you have…” [cf. Lk 10: 35]
“Take care of him…,” Jesus says.
His salvific mission is our mission. Despite our sinfulness, brokenness, wretchedness and unworthiness, the Lord has called us to heal the wounds and warm the hearts, in nearness and in proximity. And He has given us the denarii: the necessary graces, gifts, talents, skills and resources to help others who are in distress. And He promises that He will return and reward whatever we have spent. The love, mercy and compassion which we have ‘spent on’ others will be poured out on us, in multiple folds, when Jesus comes again.
The Commandment of Love.
“Go, and do the same yourself.” [Lk 10: 37]
The key to eternal life is to imitate Jesus the Good Samaritan whose Heart is full of love, mercy and compassion:
(1) to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and
(2) to love our neighbour as ourselves. [cf. Lk 10: 27]
“Without love, we are nothing.” [cf. 1 Co 13].
And Mother Teresa rightfully says that, “It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love is put in the giving,” And she quoted St John of the Cross saying, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”
This 15th Sunday in the Ordinary Time, as we reflect on Jesus the Good Samaritan, perhaps we should examine our own conscience, “How much have I loved God and my neighbours?”
Let our fervent prayer be:
“Lord Jesus Christ, teach me to love as You have loved.”
Let us also pray with and pray for Ukraine that:
“The weapons of war be silenced, the evil of the aggressors be stopped, and those who hold the fate of the world in their hands may spare us from the horror and madness of war.”