Daily Retreat 10/09/06

2006 Oct 9 Mon: Ordinary Weekday/ Denis, bp, mt, & co., mts/ John Leonardi, p
Gal 1: 6-12/ Ps 110(111): 1b-2. 7-8. 9 and 10c/ Lk 10: 25-37

From today’s readings:  “But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ....  The Lord will remember His covenant for ever....  A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho....”

Carrying out the commandment

The moral of the Good Samaritan parable is so clear: in order to fulfill God’s double-edged command to love God and your neighbor as yourself, one must do more than just agree with it in theory - one must carry it out actually, practically, extensively, and inclusively.

It must be fulfilled actually, meaning simply it must be put into action.  God does not ask us to do something unknown or cryptic, which would make it an unjust commandment, like expecting someone without the necessary education to fix a car or a computer, or translate an alien language.  Love God, love your neighbor as yourself - there’s nothing impossible or incomprehensible about that - you have only to carry it out!

The commandment must be fulfilled practically, meaning simply that it must be put into action in our daily lives.  The love that God demands of us is not an academic, larger-than-life love;  rather, it’s the concrete love that gives largeness to life, because it’s the love that God made us for!    Love God, love your neighbor as yourself - there’s nothing abstract or pedantic about that  - you have only to carry it out!

The commandment must be fulfilled extensively, meaning simply that it must be put into action in our daily lives at every possible moment.  What loving husband would kiss his wife in the morning and figure “That’s enough - no need to show anymore affection for the rest of the day!”?  My experience is that we Christians tend to excuse ourselves especially from this aspect - we certainly are committed to helping others, but after doing it a couple of times, we reason that we’ve done enough.  That was the same fallacy the villains of the story fell into: one can almost hear the priest and Levite muttering, “I gave alms three times already on this journey - it’s someone else’s turn now!”  Love God, love your neighbor as yourself - there’s no exceptions granted for those who feel they’ve already done more than their share - you have only to carry it out!

The commandment must be fulfilled inclusively, meaning simply that it must be put into action in our daily lives at every possible moment with everyone.  Recall that Samaritans and Jews had a distaste for each other’s company.  The most natural thing for a Samaritan to do, when confronted with the sight of a Jew in need, would be to excuse himself, “Let the Jews take care of their own kind, and we Samaritans will take care of our own kind.”  But the shock of the story comes from the Good Samaritan’s neighborly compassion for someone who was not of his own kind!  Love God, love your neighbor as yourself - there’s no restrictions on who qualifies as your neighbor - you have only to carry it out!

The Good Samaritan parable was not intended to give anyone warm fuzzies inside - such a reaction would be clear proof of a dangerous degree of self-righteousness!  Rather, everyone should find this parable disquieting, even somewhat bothersome.   That discomforting element of this gripping parable is not that it’s too confusing, or too abstract, or even too demanding - rather, it’s annoying simply because, concerning God’s commandment of love, in our hearts, we know that actually, practically, extensively, and inclusively, we still have yet only to carry it out.