The Holy Gospel according to Luke 10:25-37
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.”
Reflection: You may have heard the saying, “We are what we do.” This means that our choices show others who we are. But we should say, “We do what we are” meaning by our actions we show who God made us to be. God gives each of us special gifts, but we need to practice and learn how to use them. Think about an athlete. Even a gifted athlete must practice and work very hard to improve their talent. Do not let your gifts go unused. If so, you are betraying yourself and more importantly, God. When you use them, you help yourself, the people around you, and God.
Whenever we use our gifts, we can share the light of Christ. Sometimes people feel as if they are walking in darkness and are seeking that light to guide them. Well guess what. You may be that light for someone. The Gospel of John says, “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:3–5
The world around us can teach us about God. Think about light and darkness. Darkness is not a thing that fights light. Darkness is simply what we have when there is no light. Heat and cold are similar. Cold is what we feel when there is not enough heat. When heat comes in, the cold goes away.
This can also help us understand our life with God. Evil is like darkness because it grows when people turn away from God. Satan and his demons try to tempt us to make choices that push God out of our lives. When we reject God, we are left in spiritual darkness.
This is an important truth … “We do what we are.” When God’s light and grace are with us, the darkness of evil goes away and the same happens when you are the light for a fellow brother or sister. That is what the words “the darkness has not overcome it” mean. We can stand against evil by being the light of Christ into our and others lives and by not letting fear or sin pull us away from him. If we do who we are then we have peace and nothing to worry about.
The Great Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Sisters and brothers, we are born with that light and love. Todays scripture says, “Take care of Him” and “Go and do likewise”.
Action of the Day: Seek out and listen for the people around you that are in need of your attention. They are all around us, all we have to do is pause and listen.
Audio Reflection:
