July 10 2022

First reading Deuteronomy 30:10-14

The Law is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach

Moses said to the people: ‘Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

‘For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, “Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, “Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.’

Responsorial Psalm 68(69):14,17,30-31,33-34,36-37

Seek the Lord, you who are poor, and your hearts will revive

This is my prayer to you,

my prayer for your favour.

In your great love, answer me, O God,

with your help that never fails:

Lord, answer, for your love is kind;

in your compassion, turn towards me.

As for me in my poverty and pain

let your help, O God, lift me up.

I will praise God’s name with a song;

I will glorify him with thanksgiving.

The poor when they see it will be glad

and God-seeking hearts will revive;

for the Lord listens to the needy

and does not spurn his servants in their chains.

For God will bring help to Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah

and men shall dwell there in possession.

The sons of his servants shall inherit it;

those who love his name shall dwell there.

Second reading Colossians 1:15-20

All things were created through Christ and for Christ

Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God

and the first-born of all creation,

for in him were created

all things in heaven and on earth:

everything visible and everything invisible,

Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –

all things were created through him and for him.

Before anything was created, he existed,

and he holds all things in unity.

Now the Church is his body,

he is its head.

As he is the Beginning,

he was first to be born from the dead,

so that he should be first in every way;

because God wanted all perfection

to be found in him

and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,

everything in heaven and everything on earth,

when he made peace

by his death on the cross.

Gospel Luke 10:25-37

The good Samaritan

There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’

But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’

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Go and do the same yourself

The parable of the Good Samaritan is one about making choices. Every
day, we are faced with choices about whether to walk away or get
involved. In today’s parable, both the priest and Levite chose to look
away and pass by on the other side. However, the Samaritan was the
one who decided to stop, look and get involved by helping the wounded
man. What made the Samaritan get involved? He had every reason to
look away because the Jews were the enemies of the Samaritans. Yet,
this Samaritan saw the wounded person on the road, not by his race or
nationality, but as a fellow human person, a brother who needed help.
Thus, he was moved with compassion and took on the suffering of the
wounded man as his own.

Today, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is my neighbour?” and allow
Jesus to show us the people around us who need our help as our
“neighbour” to whom we can offer our words of consolation, friendship,
and gestures of love. We are faced with the choice to walk away or get
involved. May we continue the good work of the Good Samaritan each
day.

Question for reflection:
How can I continue the good work of the Good Samaritan today?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.