July 14, 2013 –– Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Dt 30: 10-14; Ps 69: 14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37; Col 1: 15-20; Lk 10: 25-37
Today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Good Samaritan, presents the epitome of what it means to be a good steward. Jesus confirms to those around him, and especially “the scholar of the law,” that the scholar is correct to conclude that he must do two things to “inherit eternal life”: “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 love your neighbor as yourself.”
Of course, the scholar responds, “Who is my neighbor?” to which Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, one of the most powerful stewardship stories found in Holy Scripture. Most of us are familiar with how the Samaritan stopped to help the man who had been robbed and beaten, when others walked by and tried to ignore him. Almost everyone in the story, just as most of us in this world, is in a hurry. We, too, have things to do and to accomplish. Stewardship is not always convenient.
Nevertheless, like the Good Samaritan, there are times when we must upset our schedule, our own plan, to give and share and reach out to others. Jesus’ point is that stewardship is not easy, but if we truly aspire to be a good neighbor, it is what we are called to do.
