Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (The word is very near to you: you have only to carry it out.)

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (30:10-14)

Moses said to the people: “If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.

“For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, ‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (69:14,17, 30-31, 33-34, 36,37)

R. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live. (Cf. Ps 69:33)

I pray to you, O Lord, for the time of your favor, O God! In your great kindness answer me with your constant help. Answer me, O Lord, for bounteous is your kindness: in your great mercy turn toward me. (R)

I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. (R)

“See, you lowly ones, and be glad; you who seek God, may your hearts revive! For the Lord hears the poor, and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.” (R)

For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. The descendants of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall inhabit it. (R)

Or

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (19:8, 9, 10, 11)

R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. (Ps 19:9a)

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. (R)

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye. (R)

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true, all of them just. (R)

They are more precious than gold, than a heap of purest gold; sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb. (R)

SECOND READING (All things were created through him and for him.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Colossians (1:15-20)

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven. —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Cf. Jn 6:63c, 68c)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life. (R)

GOSPEL (Who is my neighbor?)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (10:25-37)

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.” Jesus replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

But because the scholar 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 the victim, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw the victim, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon the victim 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?” The scholar answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers

Celebrant: Divine compassion is revealed in Christ, the healing Lord who leads us to the Father. Taught by him to love our neighbor, let us pray for all who need a Savior and friend.

READER: That the Church, through her pastors and people, may show the love and compassion of God by active love for our neighbors, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That the ill, the lonely, frail and aged members of our society and community will not be ignored, or “passed by,” (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That those who minister to the poor and destitute will never lose heart or be discouraged in their dedication, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: On this Sunday that is also dedicated to seafarers, let us pray for men and women who work on the sea, away from their families, that the Lord guide them in overcoming loneliness, solitude, hardships, dangers and adversities, so that they may enjoy peace of mind and body, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For our faithful departed loved ones, that they may be welcomed into the heavenly Jerusalem and find their eternal comfort and reward there, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: God our Father, as we pray for others today, we ask you to help us to love and serve our neighbor, and so welcome your beloved Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. (all) AMEN.

Homily

“I just love….”

Have you ever noticed how often we hear that phrase? “I just love to watch the sun set over the sea!” “I just love the smell of freshly cut flowers!” or “ I just love spending time with my family and friends on weekends!” There are literally hundreds of words we can add to the phrase, “I just love…!” Genuine love is the most transforming experience we can know.

Often, we generally use the word LOVE in relation to people and experiences that give us pleasure. But real love usually comes at a great price. Our Gospel today points this out. In this story, the priest and the Levite were on their way to Jerusalem, presumably to fulfill responsibilities at the Temple, privileges that may have been theirs to fulfill a few times a year. They did not know whether the man lying on the road was alive or dead. If he was dead, they would have been responsible for the body, and this would have made them ritually unclean and unfit to enter the Temple precincts. Concern and compassion for another human being meant that they might have to forfeit something they held dear. It was a risk they did not want to take; it was a price they chose not to pay.

The Samaritan traveler, on the other hand, had no ritual privileges to lose. He was already considered unfit for Temple worship, and so he was despised by those who considered themselves righteous adherents of the Law. But he was filled with concern and compassion for another human being, even though under different circumstances he too might have shunned him or left him there. But he gave the poor man immediate care and then brought him to safety and paid someone else to care for him. The Samaritan was willing to pay the price.

Like the challenge in last week’s Gospel, love of God and love of neighbor are also two sides of the same coin. Or, we could say that LOVE OF GOD EXPRESSES ITSELF IN LOVE OF OTHERS. Why? Both this Gospel and our 1st reading indicate that Love of God and love of others IS the law of God. In Hebrew, torah (law) might be translated better as “instruction.” We are instructed to LOVE. Moses reminds his followers that this LAW, “is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” Like the entire law of the Ten Commandments, these laws and this particular law arise out of human experience. For example, as a community, we should worship together, be truthful, honor our parents, respect each other’s property and life. God’s will for us can be found in human experience itself – that we live with compassion, concern, respect … and LOVE… for others.

Love should be natural to us – like a part of our DNA – and it is when you think about it. We all seem to have an innate love for the world around us with its spectacular sights and scents, its energizing sounds and designs. We also seem to have an innate love for other people. Just watch how easily and simply children act so innocently towards each other – that is, until they are taught otherwise. In many ways, we learn what to love and what not to love, who to love and who not to love or to avoid. The Jewish people over centuries learned to not love Samaritans, and Samaritans likewise learned to resent Jews. The priest and the Levite in our Gospel learned to love religious practice more than people in need.

We know too that there are various meanings of the word LOVE. The love we have for friends is different from the love we might have for food, clothing, or sights and sounds around us. The Bible differentiates different kinds of love. The Hebrew word for love means “commitment.” More than it means for some emotional attachment. The Greeks have three words for LOVE: eros (passionate love that desires the other for oneself); philia, (solicitous love among friends that entails mutual obligations); and agape which often carries a religious connotation to divine love. Because it is not self-seeking, agape is considered the highest order of love. Agape emphasizes neither the passion of eros nor the warmth of philia. It suggests genuine commitment rather than primarily some sort of emotional attachment to another. It should be remembered that when Jesus teaches or instructs us to love, the word in Greek that is used is agape.

In other words, the love we are instructed to have must be based on a desire for the good of the other, not simply for passion or affection. This is also why earlier in Luke’s Gospel he instructs us to also “Love your enemies”.

Reflect for a moment on the ways we might put service of people above the people themselves? Which individuals or groups of people have you excluded from your own circle of love? Why? Can you change this? And most importantly, try each and every day to show the people in your life that you truly love them very much.

Jesus, at the end of this parable of the Good Samaritan asks, “which of these three (the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan) was neighbor to the victim?” The answer is given…”the one who treated him with mercy… with agape… with love and compassion. Jesus then instructs us, “GO AND DO LIKEWISE.”