Today’s Gospel is the famous story of the Good Samaritan, unfortunately because this story is two thousand years old, it has lost a lot of its bite. Now the Good Samaritan means anyone who helps another. There is also the Good Samaritan Law which means those who help another in distress cannot be sued. But if we sum up the gospel in the current understanding of the term, we greatly miss the point.

 

Let us look at all the characters. You have the man who was set upon by robbers and left for dead. At no point do you hear him calling out for help, so he appears dead, comatose, completely unconscious. This means that this innocent man, who traveled the road by himself became the victim of robbers who not only robbed him, and beat him, they left him lying in the road. This is significant.

 

Those who walk by one the way to Jericho basically do not rob him, but their behavior aside of that is the same as those of robbers. Despite their religious status, they are no better than thieves and have a morality no better than thieves. Notice something else, Jesus never gives us a motive for their inaction. We learn that they are a priest and a levite, but we also learn they are coming from Jerusalem, that means they are not preparing to sacrifice to God, for which they use the excuse they must not touch anything unclean and the man’s blood would be unclean. Bible.org points out that they have done their duty in Jerusalem. So that is a poor excuse.

 

Monsignor Charles Pope of the Detroit Archdiocese suggests that they may be afraid, seeing the man as a trap, lying there to grab them and have them set upon by robbers. That is a possibility, but is it a legitimate excuse? No

 

Rev. Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. who you must remember was also an excellent Baptist preacher, brings out that the priest and levite may have thought, “what will become of me if I help this man?” In fear they move on.

 

No matter the motive, Jesus gives us none and only leaves us guessing why the both the priest and levite walked by. It may have been because they were a priest or levite. It would be the same for the priest today. If I walk by a dying man on the street, what would you say? Even a priest walked by him, nobody helped him. So the issue may not be that they walked by, but that they were a priest and a levite who did so.

 

Now we see the Samaritans and I have talked to you earlier that the Jews hated Samaritans. If fact in the social hierarchy of the Jews in the Gospel time, the Samaritans were more despised than tax collectors and sinners. So as much as they disliked tax collectors and sinners, at least none of them were Samaritans. So here is Jesus saying, that those supposed to be the model Jews walked by, while he whom they consider worse than the worst of Jews does the right thing.

 

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,that the Samaritan, unlike the priest and the levite asks “What will become of him if I don’t help?” That is the question of the Christian.

 

But I am going take this out of the nice definition of the parable and look at it more pointedly. Remember, this story is the answer to two questions:

1. What must I do to be saved? Answer Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

2. Who is my neighbor?

 

The priest and levite focused on love of God but not neighbor, the Samaritan loved neighbor.

 

Now the obvious question is whom does Jesus call us to be? What is your answer to this question? Obviously the Samaritan, but are you?

 

Well, yes Father, if there was a man lying in the road I would help him immediately.

 

Let us assume this for right now. But let us change the terms.

 

Bishop Dooher in a meeting we had with him recently pointed out something important. In the list of the works of mercy, we know one of them is to visit prisoners, but you may remember it used to be ransom the captive. This intense expression really highlights the Catholic point of view.

 

Let me give you another example from the opposite point of view. You may have seen the video of the terrorists at the Istanbul Airport, walking their carts loaded with explosives, smiling. Forget what you learn in movies, that is what the demonic actually looks like, happy at the destruction of others. Well what does the holy look like? One who stands by and watches it happen? Hardly. Like the expression cited by Bishop Dooher, will go the extra mile for the health and more importantly the salvation of others.

 

 

Do we step over the body? When was the last time you stood up for your church? Or you stood up to one trashing the church or the work of the people in it? If you allow people to continue to trash the Church, you step over the body. I know of cases of people who have literally taken over parishes for their own personal gain, even bullying parishioners who questioned their motives. How do they get away with it, people allow them to do it. They step over the body.

If you are complaining about the youth today but doing nothing to lead them to the faith and away from those things that get them into trouble, you step over the body. If you have the ability to teach the faith and you don’t, allowing someone else to do it. You step over the body.

 

Teens especially need someone to advocate for them and stand up for them in school and other places. Do you know that many parents are afraid to stand up for their children in school systems because they are afraid that teachers will then make life miserable for their teens or children. I have seen that fear in every culture I have worked with, including the white US culture private and public. Teens need parents to advocate for them in school they need people who will help them understand when they are wrong and when the teacher is wrong, and yes it happens. If you do not speak up for them, you step over the body.

 

When we need readers and religious education teachers are you just walking by on your way to Jericho or are you going to roll up your sleeves and help out.

 

I see all the time, people are complaining of the drug problem in the area, but is anyone leading people to build a healing ministry in the Church to help addicts and reach out to free them  from addiction.

 

Do you want me to continue. If all you do is attend mass and then go home, you are doing the equivalent of walking by the suffering Body of Christ.

 

Jesus calls his disciples to be daring members of the community willing to take risks for the sake of the gospel. They may not get paid well, and may suffer for their zeal for the faith, but in their love of God and neighbor they go beyond what others will do so that all may be saved. That is the message Jesus is explaining.

 

If the Samaritan help the man at his own personal risk and cost, how can we be expected to do less on behalf of Christ’s Church.

 

If there are many who suffered seeking to evangelize the world, who are we to sit back and do the minimum? It is not the minimum that is asked of us, that is what the priest and levite do, it is the maximum, what the Samaritan does.

 

Are you walking  by the suffering Body of Christ or are you seeking to be the one who fulfills the commandments? Remember the parable is the answer to the question, what must I do to be saved and in that parable neither the priest or the levite are saved.

God bless you,

Fr. Robert J Carr

Fr. Carr is member of the Segundo Elo  of the Canção Nova Community. He is the pastor of Holy Trinity Quincy, MAand is the editor of this blog. He is the author of several books, blogs and hundreds of videos all of which you may find on Youtube.  You can follow him on twitter as @frbobcarr and on Google plus as+FrRobertCarr. Thoughts, comments on the homily? Let us know at Facebook