Gospel Lectio Divina for Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 10, 2022
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus 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 neighbor 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 neighbor?"
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 traveler 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 neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."
Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
MEDITATE
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
It seems to me that the aspect of eternal life in Jesus’ teaching is often overlooked, or at least not emphasized enough. The Sadducees did not believe in eternal life. The Greeks and Romans didn’t really have much of a belief in it either. This is what led Peter to say to Jesus in John 6, “Where else can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.” This was the crux of Christ’s teaching–his “selling point” in his message, for lack of a better term–it was what set him apart from many other religious teachers. He taught that God has prepared a place for us with him in heaven. This is why John 3:16 is so popular: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so if you believe in him you may have eternal life.” To us, it’s taken for granted; it’s such a central concept to the Christian message that we assume everyone already knows, understands, and appreciates that part–or at least that’s how it seems to me. Because his teachings on eternal life were so uncommon, naturally, people came to Jesus asking what they needed to do to obtain eternal life. The opposite seems true today: Because the message of eternal life is so commonly discussed in Christian talk, people think they already know the story and so they dismiss it. What can we do to make this message of eternal life as authentic as it was in Christ’s time?
"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 neighbor as yourself."
I’ve heard it said that if you do the will of God, you will experience heaven on earth. So, that begs the question: Is Jesus saying that loving the Lord with all our being, strength, and mind–and loving your neighbor–will bring about the blissful existence we long for in heaven, on earth before we even get there? Is heaven simply a state of mind? Or is it a reward we receive in the afterlife for doing God’s will? I’ve found that the truth is somewhere in between. Doing the will of God naturally results in the joyful hope of heaven. Doing his will helps us see paradise on earth better, even if it is just glimpses of it. God made all of existence to reflect his truth. The more we abide by it, the more it all makes sense to us; the more we see his plan for it all. When we stray from his will, everything tends to become confusing. Our cohesion of reality starts to fall apart. That’s why many people who don’t believe in God also don’t believe in the truth. It’s because they’ve lost the adhesive that brings all truth together. God is the connection between everything, the common thread in everything that exists. Being in his will means we get to see how all truth is intertwined. Seeing how all of creation is part of God’s plan–that wholeness, that holistic understanding of the big picture–is at least part of that glimpse of heaven on earth people talk about.
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
I often do the same thing! I ask questions to try to confuse the simplicity of Jesus’ teachings, questions that are not hard to answer. My reason gets the best of me as I think it is more valuable than simple charity. Who is my neighbor? Anyone God puts into my life who needs help. My life is a story, and I am the main character. God gives me many opportunities to do the right thing, to share the grace he gave me with others. These opportunities often come in the form of neighbors crossing my path. It may be the person next door. It may be the friend or relative going through a bad break-up. It may be the fellow parishioner who has huge medical bills from a bad accident.
We live in a very transitory culture. Many people move around so much, it’s hard for them to ever get to know their neighbors or the people and groups in their local communities. Lack of community in our day has led to us needing to depend on help outside our communities. Welfare programs, loans with high interest rates, even social networks that replace real fellowship–they’ve all taken the place of true community.
I am just as guilty as anyone of coming up with excuses for not being neighborly: I have my own duties to tend to, I don’t have time, I should probably mind my own business, I don’t really know that person. But here’s Jesus’ point: The man on his way to Jericho was a stranger to the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan did have other things to do. Helping the stranger was a huge inconvenience to him. The Good Samaritan knew nothing about this stranger’s story. He just saw a man distressed and in need, and saw that he had what the stranger needed. More often than not, I play the role of the priest or Levite in this story. I may even be cynical toward the man, thinking maybe he’s drunk, maybe he deserved it, maybe he’s part of a scam to try to rob me. But the Christian embraces the person who appears to be in distress, disregarding the risk out of love for the stranger. The Christian can do this because he wears the armor of God, and knows truth and charity defeat deceit and greed.
PRAY
Dear Lord,
Help me to be the Good Samaritan for everyone I meet. Help me to put their needs before my own and treat them as I would like to be treated. Because you are so good to me, I find the strength to be good to others. Teach me to pass on the love you give. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
LISTEN
God is always giving us chances to share his goodness. If we take a close look at the everyday incidents in our lives, we will recognize these opportunities. A person doesn’t have to be in distress in order to bring goodness into their lives. A simple smile or joyful hello is sometimes enough to brighten someone’s day. Let’s pay attention to the chances God gives us to spread his love, and use those moments to do God’s will as best we can.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
