Homily for Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time

In our gospel reading this morning, a lawyer asks Jesus two essential questions: First, he asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus prompts the lawyer to answer the question himself. He does so by referring to the primary love command: love of God and love of neighbor. Second (perhaps, to justify himself for not treating everyone as his neighbor), he asks, “And who is my neighbor?” It is in His response to that question Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

 

In looking carefully at the parable, we see that it doesn’t answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Instead, it seems to answer another question, “Which of these three proved himself to be a neighbor?” The parable explains what it means to be a genuine neighbor. Jesus implies that it is more important to be a neighbor to others than to define who my neighbor is. The implication is that everyone is my neighbor.

 

We could say that the answer to the lawyer’s first question (“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”) is to be a good neighbor. If you want to know what it means to be a neighbor, look at the Samaritan. The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan all noticed the wounded man by the roadside. What sets the Samaritan apart is that he responded to what he noticed. 

 

The priest and the Levite probably saw with eyes focused on the laws of purity, which they saw as more important than showing compassion. Their way of seeing precluded any assistance to the man on the road. The Samaritan’s way of seeing gave way to compassion and mercy. It is the kind of seeing that characterized Jesus Himself. His answer to the lawyer’s first question is, “Be a good neighbor in the way that I am.”+