YOU CAN BE A GOOD SAMARITAN.

WHO IS A GOOD SAMARITAN?

“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.”  (Luke 10: 25 - 37)

Sunday 13th July 2025 in the 15th Week in Ordinary Time.

A scholar of the law tests Jesus with a tricky question.  Our Master and Teacher answers the scholar.

Love of God and love of neighbor is clearly written in the Hebrew Scriptures.
“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.” (Luke 10: 27).

Jesus tells the scholar the parable of the Good Samaritan and ends the story by asking the lawyer:

"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.”  (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus concludes by saying to the man: "Do this and you will live."

St James amplifies this in his letter:  "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 26).

An insight into what might be going on in the mind of the priest and the Levite is rendered thus:
"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" (Martin Luther  King, JR).

Jesus ends what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan by saying to the scholar of the law: Go and do as the Good Samaritan. Every person in need is our neighbor.

You may call this Parable a story of mercy.
What is mercy? From the Parable, we may say that mercy is when someone shows you pity in a moment of great need.

Be a good neighbor.
Allow someone to be a good neighbor to you. Jesus is always a good neighbor.
Our neighbor is every person in need.

Jesus gave us the Divine Mercy Devotion through St Maria Faustina to teach us that initiative of mercy starts from God.

 This devotion is summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for
mercy.

The Church honors the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in July.

“Almighty and eternal God, you have appointed your only-begotten Son the Redeemer of the world, and willed to be appeased by his Blood. Grant we beg of you, that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation, and through its power be safeguarded from the evils of the present life, so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen."

Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ purify and heal us.

For Prayers and Prayer intentions for the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2024/06/july-devotion-to-precious-body-of-jesus.html?m=1