Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37
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When we hear the words “Good Samaritan,” most of us
have a positive reaction.
This was not the case in Jesus’ day. The Samaritans and Jews
despised each other. In fact, at the time Jesus was telling this story, the
Samaritan was an outcast in the Jewish world. Someone to be avoided. Someone
demonized by those hearing this story for the first time.
Perhaps an equivalent to a Samaritan today, especially here
in the Northwest, would be a homeless person. Or someone struggling with
mental and spiritual distress who would do something violent in a Church.
Today’s Gospel about the Good Samaritan came to life on the
streets of Everett once while serving our homeless sisters and brothers with
MercyWatch.
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| Click HERE to learn more about MercyWatch |
There
we witnessed a beautiful act of human compassion done by someone in our old parish
community – a homeless man named Kevin.
Kevin’s a regular at Sunday Mass in Everett. I’ve heard
young people refer to Kevin as skinny Santa Claus due to his long white hair
and beard. He’s been in our parish
community for over 20 years. Our team has tried to get him off the streets, but
sadly his drug use prevents this.
What he did will
touch your heart.
Kevin is a baptized Catholic. He used to be an altar server back
in the day. That’s why he comes to Mass each week.
We Catholics are called as Missionary Disciples to learn from the poor. Enter
into relationship with the poor. Advocate for the poor. And serve the poor.
This specific reminder
comes from Pope Francis in his first apostolic exhortation (Evangelii Gaudium --- click to get link to document)
– The Joy of the Gospel. It’s a blueprint for missionary discipleship.
So what does The Joy of the Gospel says to us?
That we are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, walking
with, loving and healing those on the margins, those who are outcasts in our
society.
In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis said, “I want a Church which
is poor for the poor. They have much to teach us. We need to let ourselves be
evangelized by them.”
And that’s exactly what Kevin did. He evangelized our homeless
outreach team that night.
We arrived on an evening when temperatures were in the mid-20s. Kevin was
under a bridge in his sleeping bag. Next to him was a young man dressed only in
a pair of jeans and a t-shirt; no shoes, no coat, no blanket, no food. He
was freezing.
The man was clearly going through withdrawals from drug use. Kevin was
talking to him and trying to get the man to stay by him.
Our group arrived with a car loaded with FEMA emergency blankets, food and
water. We spotted Kevin and grabbed blankets to help keep him and others
warm in the frigid weather.
The young man refused blankets and didn’t want much to do with us. He was
pretty out of it. But Kevin insisted we give a blanket to his neighbor,
and food and water. We did as Kevin commanded. And watched as he lovingly took
care of the man.
We are all called by God to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is not our
place to justify ourselves by asking what the scholar of the Law who tested
Jesus asked, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus then shared with the man the story of the Good
Samaritan. While the priest and Levite (or deacon) passed by the man
beaten by robbers and laying on the side of the road, the Samaritan, (the
outcast in the Jewish world) stopped and tended to the man.
When the scholar of the Law is asked by Jesus, “Which…,
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.”
Our Washington state Bishops wrote a Pastoral Letter a few years
ago entitled “Who Is My Neighbor?” (Click here for link to LETTER)
In it, they called on us all to advocate “on behalf of those who
lack the basic rights of food and shelter, access to health care, a living wage
and education and to ask difficult questions and search for solutions.”
Only then can a just world be made present.
This coming week, I’ll be headed to Maryknoll Los Altos in
Northern California to be with fellow Seattle Archdiocesan deacons and other
laypeople from around the country concerned about the plight of the homeless
and our response to it.
There we are doing a deep dive into how scripture calls us to help
with the problem. Not by ignoring it as the priest and Levite (or deacon) might
do, but by lovingly being part of the solution like the Good Samaritan.
I hope to bring back ideas for all of us here at Christ Our Hope. After all, we are a beacon of hope in the heart of downtown Seattle.
Our community already does much. But God is calling us to do more.
What we cannot do is just walk on by this problem.
We must be loving and show mercy to our sisters and brothers in
distress here in our beautiful city.
Like the scholar of the Law, Jesus is asking each of us to “go
and do likewise.”
Jesus is talking today about what it takes to have eternal
life. No, this is not something that’s
earned, but is received as a gift in a loving friendship with Jesus. And for
loving God and neighbor, as the young scholar said.
What Jesus does not want us to do is minimalize his mission of
love to the world. For Jesus, there are no limits to love.
Instead of asking “And who is my neighbor?,” Jesus
wants us to reflect on this question, “Who do I choose not to love.” Then learn
to love this person.
Our generous community has reached its goal with the
Annual Catholic Appeal. This means every penny now contributed over the goal
will go to strengthening our outreach efforts at Christ Our Hope.
I’ll be looking for fellow parishioners to join a revitalized
outreach team as we discern where God is calling us to share this blessing.
So, “Who is my Neighbor?”
My homeless friend Kevin knows.
May his loving actions kindle in our hearts a passion to follow
his example.
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