Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C
July 10, 2016
Gospel: Lk 10:25-37
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test
him 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 (1) came to the place, and
when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan (2) 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."
(http://www.usccb.org)
The difficult words
(1)A Levite was an important Jewish.
(2) A Samaritan was a person from
the region of Samaria in the Holy Land. Samaritans and Jews did not get along
with one another.
This week’s spotlight
Eternal life
Through his death and resurrection, Jesus frees people
from sin and gives them life. He announces that he brings a kind of life that
never ends: eternal life. This is not just a life that lasts for ever; but it
is especially the living of a full and extraordinary relationship with God. It
is also a beautiful, unending relationship of love with one's neighbors. Every
one of us is called to live this life - starting today!
Let your Spirit come
Before the consecration of the bread and the wine, the
priest calls down the Spirit upon them. This prayer is called the epiclesis. As
our gifts of bread and wine are offered to God, we offer our lives to him. As
the bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ through the
Spirit's power, we too are made holy.
Reflection
Love God
Take a look at the man who asks Jesus a question. He
is a man who is very educated in religion and wants to know what he needs to do
in order to have “eternal life,” that is to say, to live in happiness for ever
with God. One would expect Jesus to say that you need to pray a lot, to think
about God all the time, to be happy despite your problems, and love God more
than anyone else. As expected, Jesus says: "You shall love the Lord, your
God, with all your heart...” However, Jesus goes on to say:
“and love your neighbor as yourself.” When the man
asks who his neighbor is, Jesus answers with a parable: there is a stranger who
is suffering, and a good man who takes care of him. To really love God, then,
is to love every person God puts in our path. God wants us to love him by also
loving those in need. Now it’s your turn: love God, and be a true neighbor to
everyone you meet.
Discussion questions
1.Who is the neighbor in the Good Samaritan story?
2.What great commandment does Jesus teach his followers?
3.What does Jesus teach his followers about how they should treat
others?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. Through
your love present in this Eucharist, help me to grow in love for my neighbor.
Give me the grace to see your Son in every person I meet, especially those I
find hard to like.
This week…
Love God by being attentive to your neighbors
A "neighbor” can be someone
you know or someone who is a stranger; someone who is close by or someone from
far away. This week, pay special attention to those in your own neighborhood.
Remember to smile and say hello to them when you come across them in the
street.
Love God by paying special attention to younger
ones
This week, why not organize an
afternoon with your brothers, sisters, and cousins that are younger than you?
You could read them a story, play hide and seek with them, teach them songs, or
have a contest in making clay figures.
Crossword Puzzle
Source: usccb.org - Magnifikid - sermons4kids.com – rclblectionary.com –usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm