St. James and St. Leo Catholic Community

Reflections on the Parable of the Good Samaritan
(Luke 10:25-37)
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C, July 11, 2010

The doctor of the law who asked Jesus “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” knew of course the answer to his question. In fact he was treating Jesus with some condescension as a country rabbi from Galilee. Everybody knew that the ultimate guide for any faithful believer was the Torah, the Law of Moses. Jesus reacted as he normally did when people would ask him a trick question, he responded with a question.

“He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?”   Like a bright student in catechism class, the lawyer couldn’t resist showing he knew the correct answer: “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 neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus answers with the equivalent of “God boy,”   “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

This is where things took an unexpected turn. If Jesus had remained in the realm of the correct answer he should have said “Your neighbor is your fellow Israelite, of course.” The reason was simple; they considered every outsider to the Jewish faith an inferior, referring to them with derogatory terms such as “dogs” and “fodder for hell.” Lower even than the pagans were the Samaritans, who were a mix breed of Jewish and pagan blood. They had their own tradition of worship and did not recognize the Temple in Jerusalem.

For the Jews, a “Good Samaritan” would have been a total oxymoron, a contradiction in terms, like saying today “A compassionate terrorist”. For shock effect Jesus couldn’t have used a stronger example than to offer a Samaritan as a role model.What Jesus says here is extremely powerful. It is important to have the right answer to what should guide us to eternal life, but what counts in the end is how it is lived!  Sometimes the best role models are not those you would expect. You might have heard this week’s report on the publication of Mark Twain’s memoirs, which he instructed should only be published a 100 years after his death.Mark Twain was a very humorous man but some of his remarks are not. In particular his comment indicating that Christian faith is not being lived. I am sure it could be said of any faith.

The teaching maybe wonderful and wholesome but the practice often falls short.

Every six years the Sociology Department of the Catholic University of America publishes a study on the state of the Church in the United States.  It examines a variety of topics such as the percentage of practice, demography, what Catholics believe, trends, etc.  Over the years, many things change but one particular response is consistent. When asked: “How essential is your vision of what the Catholic faith is?” Catholics rank “charitable efforts toward helping the poor” among the top three of nineteen items. And when asked, “As a Catholic, how important is each of the following to you?” they ranked “Church involvement in activities directed toward social justice and helping the poor” third among six items (p. 87, American Catholics)

Catholics in this country overwhelmingly identify their Church as playing the role of the Good Samaritan, helping whoever needs it, no matter who they are or where they live. Catholics are called to live the compassionate healing touch of Jesus.  Beautiful liturgies and social activities are important in building a vibrant community, but if we are not involved in “reaching-out” like Jesus to the “poor, the prisoners and the sick” we become a club and remain a club. We fall short of responding to Christ’s call to “follow me.”

Real love of God and neighbor is never closed unto itself. Discipleship and service go hand in hand, each is incomplete without the other.

This parish has a history of reaching out generously.   For nearly 33 years Mission Circle has served the less fortunate across the border.  We have the St. Leo Medical and Dental Clinics. We recently built a school in Vietnam and our Youth Group has conducted service trips such as their journey to the Dominican Republic coming up this week. People from this parish volunteer  to visit the prisoners, the sick and the homebound, however the fact remains that it is a small percentage of people who are actively involved.  Regardless of how generous we have been in the past we must never rest on our past accomplishments but look for new ways to live the compassion of Jesus.

The Church has a very rich teaching in social justice, but too few Catholics know about it.  Last February a large number of Saint James parishioners participated  in an informational meeting on a program called JustFaith It is a demanding program that offers an in-depth study of what our Church teaches and how we should live the Gospel. It is a program that models the same process as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adult, or RCIA for short. Today, when one has the desire to become a Catholic, we don’t have them take a few classes with a priest or a catechist as was done in the past. Catechumens and Candidates are invited to commit to a in-depth process of study. Most, if not all, are resistant at first, but as they get into the program they not only gain knowledge of the faith but a deepened experience of community.

Those of you who sign up to participate in JustFaith make a similar commitment, 30 weekly meetings from September to May, two retreats and four immersion experiences. In addition, participants are expected to do one to two hours of reading each week. Participants are nurtured by a small faith community that forms among the group as they journey together through this program. Former participants have said it is the best and most meaningful formation experience they have had, and they eagerly looked forward to each weekly session.

JustFaith was brought to our attention by one of our Eudist seminarians last year.  Lawrence Goodwin had introduced the program in the Diocese of Phoenix and had witnessed the transforming effect on individuals and parishes. JustFaith collaborates with Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. We are one of five pilot parishes who will begin JustFaith this coming September. I see it as a great way to prepare for the Centennial of Saint James Parish, which is next year in 2011.

The program may not be for everyone but we can all get behind it. Perhaps you can read some of the books that will be recommended. Above all you can support it spiritually by praying for the participants. It is a long term, progressive program that, with the grace of God may help our faith community grow spiritually as we identify more closely with the healing and compassionate Jesus of the Gospel.

The program will be guided by Katie Hodsdon (katehodsdon@yahoo.com) and assisted by her husband Deacon Peter Hodsdon. I invite you to stop at their table outside the church or check the JustFaith website.

As we see and hear about people in need this week, may we remember the outcast who became a role model because he cared.