Turning Back

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday July 10th, 2022
​Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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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 neighbour as yourself.”

And 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 neighbour?”

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 by 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 travelling 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 own 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 three, do you think, was a neighbour 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.”

As I attempt to insert myself into this picture, many different thoughts collide in my mind. One thought is that seeing a man left stripped, beaten, and half-dead on the road would be a rare occurrence for me. And still, I can’t help but wonder, what would I do? It’s true that I’ve turned away from my neighbour in circumstances much less extreme. Fear is typically the thing that freezes me out of action. I will sometimes use introversion, lack of the appropriate skill set, or even my gender as a cop out. But when I look at and fully imagine being in this situation, the first person I see myself as is actually the man lying on the ground in need, and the second is the man who walks by.

Like the hurting man in Luke’s Gospel, beaten and robbed, there have been times in my life when my only hope has been the goodness of God, expressed through the hearts and hands of others. Some of these times I was physically broken. But the most profound moments of deep vulnerability for me have been when I entrusted my heart — my story — into the hands of others. Some listened, and then walked away. Others though, were good Samaritans — holding my story tenderly and going the extra mile to be sure I was cared for and safe.

There are many moments in life when God calls me to make a choice: to love or to fear. And as my pastor, Father Alex Colautti, would say, these are times when I need a “perspective corrective.” Jesus tells me to love my neighbour as myself, and though at times, I struggle to understand how best to love myself, I do know how I would want others to respond to my needs. I would want to be loved, not feared.

One simple, everyday example came up this week. Rushing to get my kids out the door for a round of evening activities (and running late, as usual), I opened my front door to find a young man on my step asking for money for his team’s basketball tournament. I lied and said I didn’t have any money, and then rambled excuses about him catching us at a bad time, jumped in the car, and prepared to drive away. Then my son, sitting beside me in the front seat, looked up at me with a deep love and sadness in his eyes, and said simply, “I wish we had something to give him.” Love struck my heart as I thought of all the tournaments my son has been able to attend because we could afford to take him. I put the car in park, got out my wallet, handed my son some money, and watched him jump out of the car, beaming as he ran up the street to catch the young man and give him what we had to offer.

Jesus makes this same simple request of me, for every person He places in front of me each day: “My daughter, I wish you had something to give them.” ​




Lori MacDonald

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