Love Thy Neighbor
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Some fourteen weeks ago, we celebrated the reality of God as Holy Trinity on Trinity Sunday. Thus began the longest season of the Christian year called Trinity-Tide, which inspires every baptized believer to grow spiritually. And by spiritual growth, I mean our growth in virtue and holiness. It is an exercise of the will, enabled by grace. My prayer is that you are becoming more acutely attuned to the spiritual life. Exercising a daily rule of life, one of prayer, study, and service, cultivating more openness to God's action in your life eagerly receptive to his presence. Hospitable and open to our Lord, joyfully inviting Him in so that with St. Paul, we can say, "I am crucified with Christ, yet I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2. 20), being transformed daily by the activity of Divine grace.
And we are seeking the way of life, a path that always begins with humility, no matter how many times we fall, repent, and begin the journey back to God. Spiritual growth necessarily implies growth in virtue, growth in holiness, the cultivating of the inner life. But the spiritual life can never be solely concerned with the interior, for Christian religion has an exterior component that cannot be ignored: loving our neighbors as ourselves.
"And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the Law? How readest thou? And he answering said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
The traditional interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which comes to us from the Church Fathers, sees five characters in this parable: 1) the poor man who lies wounded in the ditch, 2) the first passer-by who pays no attention to the wounded man whatsoever, 3) the second passer-by who notices the man, but chooses not to do anything, 4) the Samaritan who has compassion on the half-dead man victimized by bandits, who takes him to an inn to care for his wounds, and who hires the fifth character, the innkeeper, to continue caring for this poor soul until he returns.
The parable further informs us that the Good Samaritan is none other than our Savior, Jesus Christ. He presents himself as a Samaritan in this parable because, like the Samaritan people, he was an outcast among the Jews. The journey from Jerusalem into the Judean wilderness points to the Incarnation: the Son of God leaving his Father's side, coming to earth to help fallen sinners, and then returning to his Father, until, as the Creed teaches, "he shall come again."
This poor man whom the Samaritan pulls out of the ditch represents the human race, set upon by robbers, the forces of evil, who have stripped mankind of its righteousness and inflicted the wounds of sin. The Priest and Levite who pass by instead of stopping to care for the man represent the attempts of Old Testament religion to help sinful humanity.
As St. Paul tells us in today's Epistle, the Old Testament Law could not produce life, "for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law." And neither were the sacrifices of the Old Testament priesthood sufficient to rescue humanity from the place of injury and certain death into which it had fallen through the sin of Adam.
That is why it was necessary that Jesus Christ, who is both the great High Priest and the fulfillment of the Law, left the heavenly Jerusalem and proclaimed a new commandment: "that ye love one another as I have loved you" (Jn 13:34). The Good Samaritan, who is Jesus Christ, embarked upon a perilous journey and poured out his life to heal sinners by dying a criminal's death upon the Cross. And on the Cross, he perfectly fulfilled the Law of loving God and loving neighbor.
Now, this classical interpretation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan reveals the reality and grace of God working in history to save sinners. But the Bible is to be read and understood beyond the merely historical. We must also seek to understand the relationship of salvific history to our personal and individual salvation stories. In other words, there are deeper and more personal meanings to be found in the historical narrative of Holy Scripture.
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine." There is a certain sense (and when I say "certain," I mean definite) in which the poor man in the ditch is each of us. For who among us has not suffered from the assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Which of us were not born in original sin? Conceived, as David says, in wickedness? Who has escaped the wounds inflicted by wrongful choices, willful sin, and disobedience to God's Law? And what sinner among us is yet to recognize their great need for the Good Samaritan to come and heal them from spiritual infirmities?
We, the community of the redeemed, who by grace have been pulled from the ditch of sin, who have received Divine mercy also receive a continual stream of grace through participation in Christ's Church. Grace mysteriously comes to us in the Holy Communion and through other sacraments by hearing God's Word and singing his praises. In all of these, the Grace of God washes over our parched and barren souls.
"And set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him." You see, Christ, the Good Samaritan, has brought us into the inn, into his church. And here, in him and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we receive his tender care, feel his hand, and are refreshed by oil and wine. But Jesus has distinctly ordained two means of healing and refreshment- these are the two shillings given to the keeper of the inn- the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
And so, our Lord is the Good Samaritan. But there is also a sense that we, the church, are the innkeeper to whom the Samaritan has entrusted the injured traveler. Having been restored to health by the charity of Christ the Good Samaritan, we friends have been called to do the work of the innkeeper: to help those discarded by the world; the poor; those weary in the soul; any half-dead person who finds themselves lying in the ditch of this wicked world. We are to love our neighbor. We are to open our door hospitably and mercifully to any and all whom Jesus the Good Samaritan chooses to place upon the doorstep of our inn.
The Rev. John Kebele, a prominent member of the 18th century Oxford movement, wrote, "Sinners ourselves, now redeemed and brought into God's house, we are commanded to be continually showing mercy on other sinners." Beloved, we have been called to feed the hungry, care for the poor, and comfort the sick. Who but the church will speak truth into these confusing times in which we live? And when the world begins to burn, where shall they flee? Into the inn of Christ, into the church. And we, if it is God's will, shall be a place of refuge, a shining city on a hill offering the grace and mercy of Christ.
"And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two shillings, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." Take care of him is Jesus' commandment to every single one of us (no matter how young or old, rich or poor) to care Who is my neighbor? The sick bound in the hospital, or the aged confined to a nursing home; the lonely; the single parent; the student away from home for the first time. The cynical and the spiritually blind who desperately need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. So we love the whole person, meeting both physical and spiritual needs.
Who is my neighbor? Those beset by the sorrows of life or grappling with sin- the lapsed and the unregenerate. Friends, I pray that by the help of God, our religion will never become like that of the Priest and the Levite, ineffective and hollow. You see, good theology and personal holiness aren't enough. To these must be added love: loving our neighbor.
Remember, this parable was told in response to a question: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And the answer that Jesus gives amounts to this: if we wish to have any part of eternal life, we must attenuate ourselves to the needs of others. Good Christian, yes, Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind; AND love your neighbor as well. By this, you fulfill the totality of the Law. For love is the totality of Christian religion.
Why is it that we who have generously received the love of God are often so very unloving? Perhaps it has something to do with the measure of faith we have. Consider this: the injured man was left in the innkeeper's care and was given two shillings to care for him because the Samaritan was departing.
However, the Samaritan promised that upon his return, he would reimburse the innkeeper for the additional costs incurred during the Samaritan's absence. Now, put yourselves in the innkeeper's shoes. He doesn't know the Samaritan from Adam? He's showed up out of the blue with a severely wounded stranger. He's then asked to receive a stranger and care for him for who knows how long and at what expense. Do you see how faith was required on the part of the innkeeper? Would this Samaritan really return? And if he did, could the innkeeper be assured of repayment?
The Gospels are full of statements made by our Lord, in both parables, and through direct warnings about his imminent return: though he is gone for a time, He will come again. And when He returns, He will take an accounting of how faithfully all His innkeepers used what he had given, the spiritual and material resources with which they were Divinely endowed. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that every Christian will either be rewarded or punished according to the fruits of his labor.
Quoting Kebele again, he writes, "No one who gives up that which is most valuable for his sake, and the sake of the building up of the Body of Christ will go unrewarded." Beloved, do you believe this? Do you trust in the Lord's promise? Then take what he has given and be about the healing of the world around you. "Blessed are those servants," says our Lord, "who when he returns, he finds faithful" (Mt 12.37). But woe unto those who squander and misuse that with which they have been entrusted. Let us not bury our talents in the ground but multiply them for the glory of Christ and the advancement of his Kingdom.
Hear again the writer of Ecclesiasticus who says, "Their eyes saw the majesty of his glory, and their ears heard his glorious voice. And he said unto them, Beware of all unrighteousness; and he gave every man commandment concerning his neighbor. Their ways are ever before him and shall not be hid from his eyes" (Ecclus. 17:13-15).
Friends, God has given each of us talents, resources, skills, and abilities. The Good Samaritan has placed this parish in this community for the salvation and healing of broken lives and broken hearts at this time in history. He is building an Inn where every weary traveler may find rest. So let us, through this Holy Communion, offer ourselves: all that we are and all we possess, for the fulfillment of this holy calling. And may loving our neighbor be our true, acceptable, and laudable service unto God.
Let us pray, Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: Grant, we beseech thee, that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen+
