Saint Rita Catholic Church and School in Webster, NY - An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings

“If Only You Would Heed The Voice Of The Lord, Your God”

Our readings this Sunday focus our attention on the law of God, written in our hearts. Jesus, who came “not to abolish the law but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17), gave a whole new way of understanding the law.

Our first reading (Deuteronomy 30:10-14) highlights the simplicity and purity of God's law as originally transmitted by Moses. It is not far from us, not difficult to find. “No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out."

In our Epistle reading (Colossians 1:15-20), St. Paul opened his letter to the Church in Colossae (in modern-day Turkey) with a majestic poem or hymn that was probably in common use in liturgies of the day. In it, Paul reminds his listeners of the primacy of Jesus, the "first born of all creation" and the “first born of the dead.” It is this same God who was the giver of the Mosaic Law as it was the teller of the parable of the Good Samaritan which we hear in today’s Gospel. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.“

In our Gospel reading (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus was tested by a religious lawyer about how one merits eternal life. When questioned by Jesus, he summarized the law with quotes from the Books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. But Jesus told him a parable that showed the true nature of God's law and mercy, which we are called to emulate. Jesus placed the Samaritan (despised by Jews) as the hero in His story, in contrast to the Jewish priest and the Levite, who were following Jewish custom and law, but not God’s law of mercy and love.

The question in today’s Gospel, “Who is my neighbor?” was easily answered in the Jewish tradition of Jesus' time - it was someone of one's own clan, tribe or family; certainly not an enemy. Not so, said Jesus. It is even, perhaps especially, an enemy, the outcast, the downtrodden. May our readings today cause us to reflect on the Law of God written in our hearts, our true conscience. Have we ever crossed the road, or looked the other way and passed a stranger by instead of stopping to bind his wounds? How shall we act the next time?

bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071325.cfm