15th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

Who is my neighbour ?

A student of the Old Testament law stood up to test Jesus. He approached Jesus Christ, supposedly to ask him what he should do to inherit eternal life, but in reality out of a desire to provoke him. He received a much needed lesson. In this parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus told us that our neighbor is a particular person. There are always special people in front of us who are waiting for things from us

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life ?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it ?”

²⁷ He answered : « ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ; and Love your neighbor as yourself.”

²⁸ You have answered correctly” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor ?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said : “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers ?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “ The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Lk 0, 25-37)

Homily   Who is my neighbour ?

 To embarrass Jesus, a doctor of the Law asked Jesus this question : « Master, what must I do to have eternal life ?  »(Lk 10, 25)
Men have always hoped for another life. Jesus often talked about it. He even said, « This life has already begun. » It is already lived, although not yet completed. But what does it consist of ? And above all, what must be done to get it? That’s the Scribe’s question, it’s ours too.

Jesus asked him : « What is written in the law ?  What are you reading ?  »The other answered : « You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your spirit, and your neighbour as yourself » Jesus said to him : « You have answered well. Do so and you will have eternal life. « (Lk 10, 26-27)

« It is very close to you, this Word, it is in your mouth and in your heart so that you may put it into practice » (first reading : Dt 30, 14) All you have to do is love ! God’s Law is simple for those who listen. Salvation is at stake in our attitudes towards others. Everything we do to others reaches God.

To live forever. So you have to love ! To love ! The love of God and the love of neighbor are inseparable. Is that the way it is in my life ? Jesus’ message is deeply human. To love is the fundamental law of man. In this parable of the Samaritan, the neighbour we must love, it is not first of all the wounded lying on the road, but it is this Samaritan who has made himself the close relative of the other ! He’s not the poor one, but he’s the one who felt sorry for him.

If we transpose this story into our lives, we will easily understand that we must love in the first place all the people who, during our lives, have come close to us to help us, which does not exempt us from becoming in our turn the neighbour of others. Our neighbour is first and foremost our parents, our first educators. Ingratitude towards them is the sin that opposes love of neighbor.

Our neighbour is then those who have educated us, outside the family circle, and who have allowed us to access knowledge, to forge our personalities, to acquire a profession or to discover what is essential in life. Our next one is our spouse. By loving us, by choosing us especially for life, he revealed to us that we had value.

Our neighbour is our children who have brought us so much! We owe them a legitimate sense of pride. We owe them a meaning to our lives. They consolidate and sometimes even save the unity of the home. Our neighbour is still all those people who have been friends throughout our lives, bringing joy and salt, and who were present at our side in times of turbulence.

Our fellow human beings are also our fellow workers or associations, insofar as they have been for us a stimulating and helpful presence.

The neighbour par excellence is God himself, since we owe him everything! He gave us everything, and in particular life, his life and Jesus, his only Son. Who could have done more? How can we not love this Christ who made himself so much the neighbour of men that he came to share their lives? Who more than him has looked at sinful humanity to lead it on the road of love ?

And so it is that loving your neighbour as yourself is loving him out of gratitude, in the gush of joyful gratitude. « Go, and you too do the same » (Lk 10, 37b) said Christ to the lawyer. In other words, in availability and listening, become each other’s neighbour. Be the generous being close to people in need: an indirect way to pay your debt to those who helped us. Amen

Deacon Michel Houyoux

External links

◊ Your Questions – Biblical Answers →  What is the meaning of the Parable of the Good Samaritan ?

♥  Billy Graham – Who is my neighbor?

XV domenica del tempo ordinario – anno C

 Chi è il mio vicino di casa ?

La prossima : « Chi è vicino, chi è vicino….. ».
Si riferisce a una persona considerata nostro fratello o simile. Gesù lo spiegherà al medico della legge : « Amerai il tuo prossimo come te stesso »  Paolo scrisse ai Galati (5,14) : « Tutta la legge si compie in una sola parola, in questa : « Amerai il tuo prossimo come te stesso. »
L’amore del prossimo è la manifestazione di carità, amicizia, umanità, correzione,  misericordia e affetto.

Dal Vangelo secondo Luca (Lc 10, 25-37)

In quel tempo, un dottore della Legge si alzò per mettere alla prova Gesù e chiese : « Maestro, che cosa devo fare per ereditare la vita eterna ? ».

Gesù gli disse : « Che cosa sta scritto nella Legge ? Come leggi ? ». Costui rispose : « Amerai il Signore tuo Dio con tutto il tuo cuore, con tutta la tua anima, con tutta la tua forza e con tutta la tua mente, e il tuo prossimo come te stesso ».

Gli disse : « Hai risposto bene ; fa’ questo e vivrai ».Ma quello, volendo giustificarsi, disse a Gesù : « E chi è mio prossimo ? ».

Gesù riprese : « Un uomo scendeva da Gerusalemme a Gèrico e cadde nelle mani dei briganti, che gli portarono via tutto, lo percossero a sangue e se ne andarono, lasciandolo mezzo morto.

Per caso, un sacerdote scendeva per quella medesima strada e, quando lo vide, passò oltre. Anche un levìta, giunto in quel luogo, vide e passò oltre. Invece un Samaritano, che era in viaggio, passandogli accanto, vide e ne ebbe compassione. Gli si fece vicino, gli fasciò le ferite, versandovi olio e vino ; poi lo caricò sulla sua cavalcatura, lo portò in un albergo e si prese cura di lui.

Il giorno seguente, tirò fuori due denari e li diede all’albergatore, dicendo : “Abbi cura di lui; ciò che spenderai in più, te lo pagherò al mio ritorno”. Chi di questi tre ti sembra sia stato prossimo di colui che è caduto nelle mani dei briganti ?. Quello rispose : « Chi ha avuto compassione di lui ». Gesù gli disse : « Va’ e anche tu fa’ così ». (Lc 10, 25-37)

Omelia   Chi è il mio vicino di casa ?

Per mettere in imbarazzo Gesù, un medico della Legge ha posto a Gesù questa domanda : « Maestro, cosa devo fare per avere la vita eterna ?  » (Lc 10, 25) Gli uomini hanno sempre sperato in un’altra vita. Gesù ne parlava spesso. Ha anche detto : « Questa vita e’ gia’ iniziata. » E ‘già vissuto, anche se non ancora completato.

Ma in cosa consiste ? E soprattutto, cosa bisogna fare per ottenerlo ? Questa è la domanda dello Scriba, è anche la nostra. Gesù gli chiese : « Cosa c’è scritto nella legge ?  Cosa stai leggendo ?  »L’altro rispose : « Amerai il Signore tuo Dio con tutto il tuo cuore, con tutta la tua anima, con tutte le tue forze e con tutto il tuo spirito, e il tuo prossimo come te stesso » gli rispose.  Gesù : « Hai risposto bene. Fallo e avrai la vita eterna.  » (Lc 10, 26-27)

« E’ molto vicina a te, questa Parola, è nella tua bocca e nel tuo cuore perché tu la metta in pratica » (prima lettura : Dt 30, 14) : tutto quello che devi fare è l’amore ! La legge di Dio è semplice per chi ascolta. La salvezza è in gioco nel nostro atteggiamento verso gli altri. Tutto quello che facciamo agli altri raggiunge Dio.

Per vivere per sempre. Quindi devi amare ! All’amore ! L’amore di Dio e l’amore del prossimo sono inseparabili. E’ cosi’ nella mia vita ? Il messaggio di Gesù è profondamente umano. Amare è la legge fondamentale dell’uomo. In questa parabola del Samaritano, il prossimo che dobbiamo amare, non è prima di tutto il ferito che giace sulla strada, ma è questo Samaritano che si è fatto parente stretto dell’altro! Non è lui quello povero, ma quello che si è dispiaciuto per lui.

Se trasponiamo questa storia nella nostra vita, comprenderemo facilmente che dobbiamo amare in primo luogo tutte le persone che, nella nostra vita, si sono avvicinate a noi per aiutarci, il che non ci esime dal diventare a nostra volta prossimo degli altri. Il nostro vicino di casa sono prima di tutto i nostri genitori, i nostri primi educatori. L’ingratitudine verso di loro è il peccato che si oppone all’amore del prossimo.

Il nostro prossimo è allora chi ci ha educato, al di fuori della cerchia familiare, e ci ha permesso di accedere alla conoscenza, di forgiare la nostra personalità, di acquisire una professione o di scoprire ciò che è essenziale nella vita. Il prossimo è il nostro coniuge. Amandoci, scegliendoci soprattutto per la vita, ci ha rivelato che avevamo un valore.

Il nostro vicino di casa sono i nostri figli che ci hanno portato tanto ! Dobbiamo loro un legittimo senso di orgoglio. Dobbiamo loro un senso alle nostre vite. Consolidano e talvolta salvano anche l’unità della casa. Il nostro vicino di casa sono ancora tutte quelle persone che sono state amiche per tutta la vita, portando gioia e sale, e che erano presenti al nostro fianco in tempi di turbolenza.

I nostri simili sono anche nostri collaboratori o associazioni, in quanto sono stati per noi una presenza stimolante e utile. Il prossimo per eccellenza è Dio stesso, poiché gli dobbiamo tutto! Ci ha dato tutto, e in particolare la vita, la sua vita e Gesù, suo Figlio unigenito. Chi avrebbe potuto fare di più ?

Come non amare questo Cristo che ha fatto di se stesso il prossimo degli uomini, tanto che è venuto a condividere la loro vita ? Chi più di lui ha guardato all’umanità peccaminosa per condurla sulla strada dell’amore ? E così è che amare il prossimo come te stesso lo ama per gratitudine, nello zampillo di gioiosa gratitudine.

« Vai e anche tu fai lo stesso » (Lc 10, 37b) disse Cristo all’avvocato. In altre parole, nella disponibilità e nell’ascolto, diventano vicini di casa. Siate generosi nell’essere vicini alle persone bisognose: un modo indiretto per pagare il vostro debito a coloro che ci hanno aiutato.

 Diacono Michel Houyoux

Collegamenti esterni

◊ Qumran.net  : Testi – XV Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (Anno C)

◊ XV domenica del tempo ordinario – anno C → LA NOSTRA PARROCCHIA

♥ XV Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (Anno C)

Saint Jean-Baptiste

Envoi du +père Marie Landry

« Quand fut accompli le temps où Élisabeth devait enfanter, elle mit au monde un fils. » Ses voisins et sa famille apprirent que le Seigneur lui avait montré la grandeur de sa miséricorde, et ils se réjouissaient avec elle. La nativité de Jean Baptiste nous est donnée comme un évènement unique. Il nait d’un couple âgé, stérile. « Élisabeth mit au monde un fils. » Cette expression commune est riche d’un sens profond.

Évangile selon saint Luc

Quand fut accompli le temps où Élisabeth devait enfanter, elle mit au monde un fils. Ses voisins et sa famille apprirent que le Seigneur lui avait montré la grandeur de sa miséricorde, et ils se réjouissaient avec elle.

Le huitième jour, ils vinrent pour la circoncision de l’enfant. Ils voulaient l’appeler Zacharie, du nom de son père. Mais sa mère prit la parole et déclara :  » Non, il s’appellera Jean. « 

On lui dit :  » Personne dans ta famille ne porte ce nom-là !  » On demandait par signes au père comment il voulait l’appeler. Il se fit donner une tablette sur laquelle il écrivit :  » Jean est son nom.  » Et tout le monde en fut étonné.

À l’instant même, sa bouche s’ouvrit, sa langue se délia : il parlait et il bénissait Dieu. La crainte saisit alors tous les gens du voisinage et, dans toute la région montagneuse de Judée, on racontait tous ces événements.

Tous ceux qui les apprenaient les conservaient dans leur cœur et disaient :  » Que sera donc cet enfant ?  » En effet, la main du Seigneur était avec lui. L’enfant grandissait et son esprit se fortifiait. Il alla vivre au désert jusqu’au jour où il se fit connaître à Israël.

Prions

Demandons le don de la joie spirituelle. Seigneur Jésus, toi qui as promis à tes disciples une joie que nul ne pourra enlever, accorde-moi le don de la vraie joie ! Sainte Vierge Marie, je te confie toutes mes intentions. Seigneur, donne-moi la joie du salut !

 ENSEIGNEMENT

Le début de l’Évangile de saint Luc nous résume toute la vie d’Élisabeth et Zacharie en quelques mots :  » Ils étaient l’un et l’autre des justes devant Dieu.  » (Lc 1, 6) Pourtant, à cause de la stérilité d’Élisabeth, certains pensaient que le couple était maudit par Dieu. Mais l’Évangile  prouve le contraire. Les deux époux ne vivaient que pour un motif : accomplir la volonté du Seigneur : le choix du nom de l’enfant confirma cette attitude.

Zacharie n’était pas n’importe qui. Il appartenait à l’élite d’Israël, il descendait d’Aaron, tout comme sa femme. Après avoir attendu un fils pendant si longtemps, il se faisait sûrement des rêves d’avenir pour lui. Cet enfant pourrait être membre du Sanhédrin… Et, pourquoi pas, grand prêtre ! Dans ce cas, il faudrait lui donner un nom approprié, un nom digne de sa famille.

Zacharie ferait bien l’affaire. D’autre part, les amis et voisins du vieux couple les pressaient de nommer le petit du même nom que son père. Élisabeth avait beau leur dire que le bébé s’appellerait Jean, ils ne voulaient pas la croire. Les parents du nouveau-né auraient pu facilement céder à la pression de leurs amis, cela aurait même été un soulagement. Mais ils résistèrent, et l’enfant reçut le nom de Jean. Pourquoi ? Parce qu’Élisabeth et Zacharie furent restés fermement attachés à la volonté de Dieu.

Je suis souvent déchiré entre des intérêts contradictoires. D’un côté, je voudrais faire ce que Dieu me dit dans ma conscience, de l’autre, je désire gagner l’estime des personnes qui m’entourent. L’exemple d’Élisabeth et de Zacharie m’enseigne à ne vivre que pour Dieu.

Le nom donné au petit enfant n’est pas anodin. Jean signifie grâce de Dieu ou Dieu est favorable. En donnant enfin le fils qu’Élisabeth et Zacharie s’étaient résignés à ne plus avoir, le Seigneur leur dit :  » J’ai écouté votre prière, je vous suis favorable, ayez confiance ! « 

L’histoire des parents de Jean-Baptiste est une réplique en miniature de l’histoire du monde entier. En faisant naître le cousin du Christ, Dieu annonça au peuple d’Israël et à toutes les autres nations qu’il fut favorable : « Le voici maintenant le moment favorable, le voici maintenant le jour du salut ! » (2 Cor 6, 2). Après des siècles de péchés, de ténèbres et d’éloignement de Dieu, voici enfin le Sauveur qui arrive.

Il s’agit aussi de l’histoire de chacun de nous. Tous, nous sommes aimés par Dieu d’un amour éternel. Malgré notre péché et la distance qui nous sépare du Seigneur, celui-ci ne nous abandonne pas. Il nous est favorable, il vient nous sauver. Que ce soit à vingt ans, à quarante ans ou à quatre-vingts ans, il nous donnera toujours une occasion de revenir à lui. Et alors, comme Zacharie, notre bouche et notre langue se délieront pour bénir le Christ, notre sauveur.

Seigneur, tu as fait un miracle pour Zacharie en le délivrant de son mutisme. Moi aussi, je suis muet, mais il s’agit d’un mutisme différent : je ne te parle presque pas, je ne te bénis pas, ou alors je n’ouvre pas la bouche pour parler de toi à ceux qui ne te connaissent pas. Seigneur, laisse-moi faire une telle expérience de ton amour que je ne puisse m’empêcher d’exulter de joie ! Donne-moi la joie du salut !

Contact → Marie Landry Bivina

Compléments

◊ Homélie : cliquez ici pour lire l’article → Son nom est Jean

◊ Dimanche 7 juillet 2019 : cliquez ici pour lire l’article →   14ème dimanche du Temps Ordinaire — Année C

Liens externes

◊ fr. Yves Bériault, o.p.  : cliquez ici pour lire l’article →   Homélie pour le 14e Dimanche du temps ordinaire. Année C

♥ Au creux de la vague, continuez d’espérer

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

The harvest is plentiful, but his workers are few

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them,

“The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road. Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace be to this house !’

And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you. Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages ; do not move from house to house.

Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those who are sick, and say, ‘The kingdom of God  is very near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, ‘We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you. You be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near.’ I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.”

The seventy-two came back rejoicing. “Lord,” they said “even the devils submit to us when we use your name.” Jesus said to them, “I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you. Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.” (Lk 10, 1-12.17-20)

  Homily   Witnesses of Christ

Among his disciples, the Lord appointed another seventy-two, and sent them two by two before him to all the cities and towns where he himself was to go.  Luke is the only one of the four evangelists to report this episode of Jesus’ life and to report this mission of the disciples, the others only remember the sending of the twelve. Luke wants to present evangelization as a work to which everyone who is a disciple of Jesus must contribute.

This mission is the work of Christ who sends. It does not propose any missionary recipes but shows in which spirit the evangelical announcement should be made. In the Bible, Seventy-two is a symbolic number for a globality. This number refers to all the nations of the earth reconstituted after the Flood. In other words, Jesus sends all people of good will on mission.

Every Christian is sent to witness to the Gospel in his family, professional and social environment. Am I really this worker of the Kingdom of God? There is an urgent need for action. We have no right to stand idly by when, despite encouraging signs of renewal (many catechumens, the commitment of many trained lay people) most of the indicators of the Church’s health today are in the red.

He told them: « The harvest is great and the workers are few. Therefore, ask the master of the harvest to send workers for his harvest.  Faced with this lack of workers, Jesus suggests prayer as the only solution…! For him, the apostolate is a divine work, a grace. Do I pray that there will be many workers at the harvest? First of all, lay people… but also priests, men and women religious.

What about me? Am I one of those workers who work for salvation? For example, you can do a thousand services in your parish. Instead of being depressed during your retreat, you can take on a task as a Church. But above all, we can all begin with this activity that Christ asks for in the Gospel: prayer for vocations. Make no mistake about it: we will have the priests we deserve!

Jesus said again: « I send you like lambs among the wolves » Jesus does not hide the difficulty of the mission. He has warned his Church: she is constantly in danger! From the beginning until now, evangelization has always involved risks for messengers. By the time Luke was writing his gospel, almost all the apostles had given their lives and the Christians were being persecuted. So let us not be surprised, if we sometimes have to suffer a little because of our faith…mockery, hostility or insidious violence. Let’s keep up the good work! Jesus promised it : « Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. « 

It is remarkable that Jesus does not give any doctrinal instructions : he does not speak of the content of the faith… but of the concrete behaviors of the preachers. It is first of all through his way of life that the disciple of Christ announces the Kingdom of God, a way of life that is incarnated in encounters and gestures of peace and love. It is on this condition that the proclamation of the Kingdom of God can be heard.

This gospel is very concrete: the Kingdom of God, God’s plan, is very close to you, says Jesus. It is in your most ordinary life but you do not know how to discover its proximity ! With Jesus, God reigns. In Jesus, the fulfillment of the world has already broken out. Concretely, the Kingdom of God means doing His will. Let us have the courage to go against the current of our surroundings and our environment to remain faithful to the universal love that Christ asks of us.

Deacon Michel Houyoux

External links

◊ Order of the brothers of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel   → Lectio Divina: 14th Sunday of ordinary time (C)

♥ The Harvest is Plentiful but the Labourers are Few