Who is my neighbour?

Readings for July 14, 2013

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Il-15-il Ħadd  matul is-Sena                                                                                                                                               

Messalin C pp338 

Reading 1 -  Deuteronomy 30:10-14

Moses said to the people: “If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law,  when you return to the LORD, your God,  with all your heart and all your soul. “For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, ‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us  and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts;  you have only to carry it out.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Dewteronomju 30, 10-14

Mose' kellem lill-poplu u qal:  "Il-Mulej jifraħ bik u jagħmel il-ġid miegħek, jekk int tisma' l-kelma tal-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, u tħares l-ordnijiet tiegħu u l-liġijiet miktuba fil-ktieb ta' din il-liġi, jekk terġa' lejn il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, b'qalbek kollha u b'ruħek kollha. Din il-liġi li qiegħed nagħtik illum, mhijiex tqila għalik u anqas 'il bogħod minnek.   Mhijiex fis-sema biex int tgħid: "Min se jitlgħalna s-sema jġibhielna u jsemmagħhielna u nagħmluha?   U anqas ma hi 'l hemm mill-baħar biex int tgħid: "Min se jmur 'l hemm mill-ibħra u jġibielna u jsemmagħhielna, u nagħmluha?" Imma din il-ħaġa hi qribek sewwa f'fommok u f'moħħok, biex tagħmilha."   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37

R. (cf. 33) Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

I pray to you, O LORD,
for the time of your favour, O God!
In your great kindness answer me
with your constant help.
Answer me, O LORD, for bounteous is your kindness:
in your great mercy turn toward me.                                               R/

I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.                                          R/

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”                              R/

For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
The descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.                 R/

Salm Responsorjali  -  Salm 68 (69)

                        Tagħmlu l-qalb, intom li tfittxu lil Alla

Jien lilek nitlob, Mulej;

meta jogħġbok, o Alla, weġibni,

fil-kobor ta' tjubitek

u skont il-wegħda tas-salvazzjoni tiegħek.

Weġibni, Mulej, għax mill-aħjar tjubitek;

dur lejja fil-kobor tal-ħniena tiegħek.                               R/

Imma jiena msejken u batut;

terfagħni, o Alla, is-salvazzjoni tiegħek!

Infaħħar l-isem ta' Alla bl-għana,

inkabbru  b'għana ta' radd il-ħajr.                                      R/

Hekk jaraw l-imsejkna u jifirħu;

u tagħmlu l-qalb, intom li tfittxu lil Alla.

Għax jisma' l-fqajrin il-Mulej,

ma jistmellx l-imjassrin tiegħu.                                          R/

Għax Alla jsalva 'l Sijon,

u jibni l-bliet ta' Ġuda;

u huma jerġgħu lura u jgħammru fiha.

Jirtuha wlied il-qaddejja tiegħu;

dawk li jħobbu lil ismu joqogħdu fiha.                             R/

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Reading 2 -  Colossians 1:15-20

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  Kolossin 1, 15-30

Ħuti, Kristu hu x-xbieha ta' Alla li ma jidhirx, il-kbir fost il-ħlejjaq kollha,  għax fih kien maħluq kollox, fis-sema u fl-art, dak kollu li jidher u dak kollu li ma jidhirx, Troni u Ħakmiet, Prinċipati u Setgħat. Kollox bih u għalih kien maħluq, hu li hu qabel kollox, u kollox fih qiegħed iżomm. Hu r-Ras tal-Ġisem, li hu l-Knisja. Hu li hu l-bidu, il-kbir li qam mill-imwiet, sabiex ikun hu l-ewwel f'kollox. Hekk Alla għoġbu li  tgħammar fih il-milja kollha; bih Alla għoġbu jerġa' jħabbeb kollox miegħu; bid-demm tiegħu, imxerred fuq is-Salib, ġieb is-sliem permezz tiegħu fis-sema u fl-art. Il-Kelma tal- Mulej

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Gospel                 - Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,  “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?  How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied,“A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion,  was neighbour too the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju  -  Luqa 10, 25-37

F'dak iż-żmien, iqum wieħed għaref fil-Liġi u, biex iġarrab lil  Ġesu', staqsieh:  "Mgħallem, x'nagħmel biex niret il-ħajja ta' dejjem?   Qallu Ġesu':  "Fil-Liġi  x'hemm miktub?  Inti x'taqra fiha?    U dak wieġbu:  "Int għandek tħobb il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, b'qalbek kollha, b'ruħek kollha, bil-qawwa tiegħek kollha, u b'moħħok kollu, u lill-proxxmu tiegħek bħalek innifsek." Qallu Ġesu':  "Sewwa weġibt, agħmel hekk u tgħix." Iżda dak, biex juri li kellu raġun, qal lil Ġesu': "U l-proxxmu tiegħi min hu?"   Qallu Ġesu'" "Wieħed raġel kien nieżel Ġeriko minn Ġerusalemm, u waqa' f'idejn il-ħallelin; dawn  neżżgħuh, biċċruh bis-swat u telqu, u ħallew nofsu mejjet.  Inzerta kien nieżel  qassis min dik it-triq u rah, għadda minn mal-ġenb u baqa' sejjer.   Hekk ukoll wieħed levita, meta wasa hemm u rah, għadda minn mal-ġenb u baqa' sejjer.   Imma kien  għaddej minn hemm wieħed Samaritann, wasal ħdejħ, rah u tħassru.     Resaq lejh, dewwielu l-ġrieħi biż-żejt u  l-inbid u rabathomlu, u mbagħad tellgħu fuq il-bhima tiegħu, wasslu f'lukanda ħa ħsiebu.   L-għada ħareġ biċċtejn flus, tahom lil tal-lukanda u qallu:  "Ħu ħsiebu; jekk tonfoq xi ħaġa iżjed, irroddhielek jien meta nerġa' ngħaddi." Minn dawn it-tlietiaii, int min jidhirlek li ġieb ruħu ta' proxxmu ma' dak li waqa' f'idejn il-ħallelin?"   "Min ħenn għalih"  wieġbu dak. Qallu Ġesu':  "Mur, u agħmel hekk int ukoll."          Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on the Good Samaritan

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.

The Good Samaritan

We have been commenting on some of the Sunday Gospels taking our inspiration from Benedict XVI's book "Jesus of Nazareth." A portion of the book treats the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable cannot be understood if we do not take account of the question to which Jesus intended to respond: "Who is my neighbour?"  Jesus answers this question of a doctor of the law with a parable. In the music and literature of the world there are certain phrases that have become famous. Four notes in a certain sequence and every listener immediately exclaims: "Beethoven’s Fifth: destiny is knocking at the door!" Many of Jesus' parables share this characteristic. “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho ... ” and everyone immediately knows: the parable of the good Samaritan!

In the Judaism of the time there was discussion about who should be considered an Israelite’s neighbour. In general it came to be understood that the category of “neighbour” included all one’s fellow countrymen and Gentile coverts to Judaism. With his choice of persons (a Samaritan who comes to the aid of a Jew!) Jesus asserts that the category of neighbour is universal, not particular. Its horizon is humanity not the family, ethnic, or religious circle. Our enemy is also a neighbor! It is known that the Jews in fact “did not have good relations with the Samaritans” (cf. John 4:9).

The parable teaches that love of neighbour must not only be universal but also concrete and proactive. How does the Samaritan conduct himself in the parable? If the Samaritan had contented himself with saying to the unfortunate man lying there in his blood, “You unlucky soul! How did it happen? Buck up!” or something similar, and then went on his way, would not all that have been ironic and insulting? Instead he did something for the other: “He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back’.”

The true novelty in the parable of the Good Samaritan is not that Jesus demands a concrete, universal love. The novelty stands in something else, the Pope observes in his book. At the end of the parable Jesus asks the doctor of the law who was questioning him, “Which of these [the Levite, the priest, the Samaritan] seems to you to have been the neighbour of the one who was attacked by the brigands?”

Jesus brings about an unexpected reversal in the traditional concept of neighbour. The Samaritan is the neighbour and not the wounded man, as we would have expected. This means that we must not wait till our neighbour appears along our way, perhaps quite dramatically. It belongs to us to be ready to notice him, to find him. We are all called to be the neighbour! The problem of the doctor of the law is reversed. From an abstract and academic problem, it becomes a concrete and living problem. The question to ask is not “Who is my neighbour?” but “Whose neighbour can I be here and now?”

In his book the Pope proposes a contemporary application of the parable of the good Samaritan. He sees the entire continent of Africa symbolized in the unfortunate man who has been robbed, wounded, and left for dead on the side of the road, and he sees in us, members of the rich countries of the northern hemisphere, the two people who pass by if not precisely the brigands themselves.

I would like to suggest another possible application of the parable. I am convinced that if Jesus came to Israel today and a doctor of the law asked him again, “Who is my neighbour?” he would change the parable a bit and in the place of the Samaritan he would put a Palestinian! If a Palestinian were to ask him the same question, in the Samaritan’s place we would find a Jew!

But it is too easy to limit the discussion to Africa and the Middle East. If one of us were to pose Jesus the question “Who is my neighbour?” what would he answer? He would certainly remind us that our neighbour is not only our fellow countrymen but also those outside our community, not only Christians but Muslims also, not only Catholics but Protestants also. But he would immediately add that this is not the most important thing. The most important thing is not to know who my neighbour is but to see whose neighbour I can be here and now, for whom I can be the Good Samaritan.

 

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