If you are looking at a particular sermon and it is removed it is because it has been updated.

For example Year C 2010 is being replaced week by week with Year C 2013, and so on.

Thursday, 10 July 2025

15th Sunday Year C, 2025

 

(Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37) 

In the Gospel we were told of a Scribe, an expert in the Jewish Law, who approached Jesus in what is, truly, the only way in which Jesus can be rightly approached:

            "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

The Law (Deuteronomy 6:5) said, as the expert knew well:

'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength;’

however, he went on to pay Jesus a notable compliment by asking Him:

            Who is my neighbour?

Yes, he was an expert in the Law, but here he was asking Jesus what the words meant in practice: that was the humility of a man sincerely seeking to find his way to eternal life. 

Jesus told him a parable about one travelling from Jerusalem down to Jericho falling into the hands of robbers,  an all-too-frequent occurrence that many had suffered before and many others would  experience in the future.  The bandits of the Judean desert did not scruple to kill at times, but in this case, having robbed the man, they were content to leave him, wounded and helpless, by the side of the road.   Many Jews working in the Temple and living in Jericho would make that same dangerous journey, and both the Priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable may well have recognized the victim as a neighbour, a fellow Jew indeed, perhaps a fellow priest or Levite.   And yet, both of them, out of considerations for legal purity possibly, for personal and family reasons, or because they simply did not want, or did not even dare, to get involved with him, passed him by.  Finally, a Samaritan arrived on the scene.

Now, Samaritans, though closely related, were regarded as enemies by the Jews, and, generally, Samaritans had a no friendship for Jews.  In this case, however, the Samaritan of whom Jesus spoke, having chanced upon the wounded man:

Was moved with compassion at the sight.  He poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.  Then he 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' 

Jesus was indeed revealing the meaning of the word "neighbour" to the Scribe: for His story showed that that neighbour might turn out to be someone most unexpected.

The passing priest and Levite had the word of God on their lips, as Moses said:

            The word is very near to you, already in your mouth.  (Deut. 30:14)

That word they could repeat, discuss, dispute about, and perhaps use to display their learning.  However, it was so very easy, in such circumstances, to forget that Moses had gone on to say that ‘the word’ was also: In your heart, that you may obey it.

There have always been men able to use the Word of God as a weapon for personal advancement on earth.  On the other hand, those using God’s Word as a guide to our heavenly home, have to humbly ask, patiently knock and wait for, Him Who judges the hidden secrets of each and every human mind and heart; only then will they be enabled to proclaim and manifest something of His divine truth and heavenly beauty before men.

The Scribe, as a Jew, preferred to limit the word "neighbour" to his fellow Jews; but, nevertheless, He felt uneasy about it and so he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?" whereupon Jesus showed him that it was not possible to limit the significance of God's Word according to human  prejudices.  Nevertheless, even when -- at the end of the parable –  Jesus asked:

Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbour to the robbers’ victim?

the expert in the Law could not bring himself utter the words "the Samaritan", so ingrained was his Jewish prejudice!  He could only prevail upon himself to say:

            The one who treated him with mercy.

As we heard in the second reading all the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, and that is why we cannot try to restrict the effect of His Word in our lives.  We are called to become children of God in Jesus and, if we are to be found in His likeness, we must allow ourselves to be formed by His Spirit according to His Word.  We must allow His Spirit to lead us wherever He wills for  the Spirit alone knows the depths of God, He alone is Holy and Wise, and we must trust ourselves to Him.

Modern ideas of acceptable goodness usually involve soft words and accommodating attitudes; clear doctrinal teaching and firm discipline in moral matters are thought to be unacceptably rigid, totally unsympathetic.  And so, many modern pseudo-disciples of Jesus’ goodness (not of Jesus Himself!) can be found trying to imagine the guidance of  ‘His Spirit’ along the broad, loose, lines compatible with modern ideas concerning the total freedom of individuals, the ‘rights’ of those who find themselves in the wrong body (!),  and  society’s right to dispense accommodating ‘goodness’ with no reference to, or need of, any ‘God’. 

People of God,  beg the Holy Spirit to lead your life along the way of Jesus, to form you in Jesus’ likeness, and then try to answer God’s call to faith, trust, and love with a humble simplicity of mind and heart; do not allow your own prayerful thoughts and conscientious actions to be distorted or determined by the selfishness, prejudices and fears, or above all, by the excitement and pride , of modern society.

The Spirit first led Jesus out into the silence of the desert and then along the most unlikely way of the Cross: the disciple of Jesus is not greater than his Master; he or she too, must be obedient enough to humbly follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.  As Jesus said (John 3:8):

The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  

Finally, let us look at what is perhaps the greatest jewel hidden in the field of today’s readings: Who was, Who is, the Good Samaritan?   How could he just postpone, or at least seriously interrupt his journey to spend a night at the inn, where he was not likely to have been popular as a Samaritan?   Why was he alone able to deal with the man’s wounds?  Why did he not just pay the hotelier extra for that first day’s extra care, as well as for subsequent days’ care, ‘bed and board’?     Was the Samaritan a real person, or was he, in actual fact, a picture of Jesus Himself?  For He interrupted His journey by His suffering and death on Calvary; He alone, by His Gospel provides essential medicine for fallen man.  Jesus did, indeed, continue His journey to His heavenly home and now seeks to cure mankind’s grievous wound by His own abiding heavenly prayer and intercession,  and the earthly ministry of His Church, the inn of help and healing for all seeking true rest and eternal life through saving faith and baptismal grace.

Today we are invited to humbly rejoice in the wonder and mystery of Jesus, to meditate on His goodness, His wisdom.  A Sunday can pass by quickly chewing such cud!