Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Even if we walk down dangerous paths, when we follow the Gospel values, we walk in the footsteps of Jesus toward the gates of eternal life.

Gospel according to Luke 10:25-37

A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ The lawyer answered, ‘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 neighbor as yourself.’ Ans Jesus said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this and you will live.’ But wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed on the other side. So likewise, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ‘But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ‘The next day the Samaritan took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Jesus asked, ‘Which of these there do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ The lawyer said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘go and do likewise.’”

Reflections

Have you ever had to accept help? Asking for help can be difficult because it confronts us with our human limitations. We cannot accomplish everything by ourselves. This is especially the case when we are ill and we need to see a doctor and we rely on their skill to guide us toward healing, or when there is a task that we are physically or mentally unable to handle on our own. Asking for help requires humility and the acceptance of our vulnerable, fallen or finite nature, the limits of our physical, mental, or spiritual capacities.

If we are on the receiving end, it can be a saving grace to have someone at our side who is willing to listen, who cares and who is able and willing to lend a hand or do something for us that on our own we could not do. And if we are on the giving end, it can be a unique opportunity to usefully employ our strength or training to be of help to someone else. Both giving and receiving puts us in relation with each other, in the context of which a helpful deed is performed, a memorable event is experienced, and an unforgettable encounter may take place.

Incidentally, according to Margareth Mead, an anthropologist, human civilization began when people started to help each other. (1) Such was the impact of the finding of a healed femur, a thigh bone), which cannot be seen in the animal kingdom. For an animal a broken bone means a death sentence, explained Mead. The injured animal cannot run from predators, cannot find food or water, and remains exposed to the elements. A healed femur in a human indicates that someone cared for this person. They provide food and water and bandaged their wounds. This act of tending to the injured shows compassion and cooperation, which was essential for building a civilization.

Today, Jesus talks about helping relationships. A lawyer, probably a young and educated man approached Jesus, and he asked him a question, he requested help—guidance---about how to inherit eternal life. So, Jesus asked him about the Law, the Ten Commandments, which the lawyer was obviously very familiar with, and he could answer immediately by reciting the verses by heart: “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 neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 19:27). Jesus affirmed that his answer as correct: Nurturing a relationship with God and loving our neighbors and being charitable in pleasing to God. These are the ways in which we collaborate with God’s plan. (2) However, since the lawyer asked the question and the answer seemed so obvious, he continued to explore if there was more to Jesus’ answer, by posing a naïve question: “And who is my neighbor?” Rather than giving him a formula, Jesus asked him to ponder the answer to this question. This is why he spoke with a parable.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is among the most well-known parables of the New Testament. (3) A man went down a winding and dangerous road. While traveling, he was savagely attacked and left by the roadside, abandoned. There are three characters who pass by the innocent victim: A priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. Two of these characters were viewed as superior in intellect, purity, and moral standing in traditional Jewish society: the priest and the Levite. (4) Samaritans, as a group were treated with disdain and contempt because they were considered “mixed race” less pure blood than the Israelites. (5) So, here we see evidence of putting people into a box according to their genetic background, status, education, or wealth, and judging them as superior or inferior depending on their belonging to a particular group. However, Jesus shows just how wrong such prejudices can be: the priests and the Levite look away, turn their heads, and cross over to the other side of the road, while the Samaritan stops to attend the wounded man. With his actions, the Samaritan proves himself superior to the priest and the Levite.

The first lesson from this parable is that we cannot judge people according to their status, background, or belonging to a particular group. We cannot generalize across any group, either. There are priests who ought to be helpful, but they decide to look the other way; and there are simple people, given no status, maybe even despised by others, who are ready to lend a helping hand and are just in the eyes of God.

Now, lets say a few words about the fourth character, the man in the ditch who was attacked by the robbers. What would happen if this man decided to refuse help? He would have surely bled to death and died. But he responded to the mercy shown to him, and thanks to that, was brought to an inn where he could stay and receive care.

The second lesson form this parable is that responding with grace to the mercy of others brings healing into our lives.

When the young man answers that the Samaritan was the neighbor of the injured man, Jesus sends him away with the words, “Go and do likewise.” The young man represents us, the audience: we are to reach out to whoever requires our aid, do it boldly, do it even if it may not be expected of us; do it even if it is inconvenient, even if there are no word of thanks, and no one can see us do good, and we never get recognition for our acts of kindness. The implication is that God can see us, and God knows about our actions: “…I truly tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).

According to St. Augustine, the character of the Good Samaritan is Jesus himself. (6) Jesus is “The stone that the builders rejected which has become the corner stone” (Psalm 118:22); he is the one reaching out to us to tend to our spiritual needs. In history, God has come near us when we most needed it, when we were exposed to the wickedness of evil and left with no defense. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who does not pass by, does not tun his head away from our wounds, but lifts us up if we give him our consent. Jesus as God cares for us to the point of taking human form and offering his life so that we can have eternal life.

What does Jesus ask in return? He does not demand anything. Jesus is simply there, waiting for our heart to be grateful and to show mercy to our fellow human beings, not judging them, condemning them, or selectively acknowledging them, but loving them, just like He loved us. Entirely, totally, with no strings attached. “Go and do likewise,” he says simply to the lawyer, who now has his answer.

From the Gospel Values, the values lived by Jesus, stem the corporal works of mercy and address our physical needs such as feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned, and burying the dead. (7) The spiritual works of mercy are actions focusing on addressing the needs of the mind and the spirit, such as instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing the sinner, comforting the sorrowful, forgiving injuries, bearing wrongs patiently, and praying for the living and the dead.

The Good News of today is that Jesus is always there to help us reach out and bring healing to our broken world. Even if we walk down dangerous paths, when we follow the Gospel values, we walk in the footsteps of Jesus toward the gates of eternal life.

References

1. Lasco, G. (2022). Did Margaret Mead Think a Healed Femur Was the Earliest Sign of Civilization? Retrieved from: www.sapiens.org Accessed: July 12, 2025.
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church (2025). Paragraphs 2052-2055. Retrieved from: www.catholiccrossreference.online Accessed: July 12, 2025
3. Martens, J. W. (2010). Top Twelve Parables. America. The Jesuit Review. Retrieved from: www.americamagazine.org. Accessed: July 12, 2025.
4. Bible Gateway (2025). Priests and Levites. Encyclopedia of the Bible. Retrieved from: www.biblegateway.com Accessed: July 12, 2025.
5. McCloskey, P. (2020). The Rift Between Jews and Samaritans. Franciscan Media. Retrieved from: www.franciscanmedia.org. Accessed: July 12, 2025.
6. McIlhone, J. (2008). Augustine’s Commentary on the Good Samaritan. Retrieved from: www.sermons.logos.com. Accessed: July 12, 2025.
7. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2025). The Corporal Works of Mercy. Retrieved from: www.usccb.org. Accessed: July 12, 2025.
8. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (2025). The Spiritual Acts of Mercy. Retrieved from: www.usccb.org. Accessed: July 12, 2025.