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Monday – Twenty-seventh Week – OT2
Readings: Gal 1:6-12; Lk 10:25-37.
1/ First Reading: NAB Galatians 1:6 I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by (the) grace (of Christ) for a different gospel 7 (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed! 10 Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ. 11 Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
2/ Gospel: NAB Luke 10:25 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27 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.” 28 He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” 29 But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 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. 31 A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 32 Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 33 But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. 34 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. 35 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.’ 36 Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” 37 He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
I. THEME: The true Gospel
People used to be confused between the true and the fake ones. In order to avoid confusion, people need to learn and many times, they must pay a dearly price through their experience to be able to differentiate between the true and the fake ones.
Today readings help us to recognize confused people and the way they were taught to recognize the truth. In the first reading, the Galatians confused between the Gospel which Paul preached to them with the Gospel which other people did. St. Paul helped them to see the true Gospel. In the Gospel, though the scribe knew what to do to attain the eternal life, he didn’t know whom he should help. Jesus gave him a story with three different characters to help him to recognize who is his neighbor.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: There is only one true Gospel.
The main point in St. Paul’s Letter to Galatians is that God bestows His salvation for people free of charge. People can’t do anything to reach salvation. The only thing people can do is to completely put themselves under God’s mercy through their expression of faith. The important thing isn’t on what people did, but on what God has done to them.
1.1/ There is only one true Gospel revealed through Christ: After St. Paul came to preach the Gospel and formed the Galat’s community, there were some people who came after him and preached to them a Gospel according to Jewish tradition. They said that if people want to be saved, they must be circumcised and keep all the laws as the Jews. According to them, people can have merit before God by carefully keeping of the laws. St. Paul was startled when he found out such faith in his community, so he wrote to them in these strong words, “I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different Ggospel, not that there is another. But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.”
1.2/ Confusion and jealousy are the causes for inventing another Gospel: St. Paul’s opponents accused him of preaching another Gospel. They said that the reason why he preached a Gospel without based on the Law is to curry favor with human beings because people have a tendency not to be confined by the Law. He protested that if the keeping of the Law were enough for people to attain salvation, Jesus’ Incarnation, Death and Passion is unnecessary; and his preaching of the Gospel is useless. But Christ indeed died to redeem people’s sins; this shows that the Law isn’t enough for people to attain salvation. He also protested that their accusation of him to curry favor with the Galatians is without reason, “Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.” He wanted to say that he bore Christ’s marks on his body as a slave who bore his master’s name, and he only wanted to be loyal and to please only Christ.
1.3/ The true Gospel is revealed by Christ: St. Paul repeated many times that though he isn’t belong to the Twelve, he was directly sent by the Resurrected Christ to the Gentiles, and his Gospel wasn’t handed to him by any human being, but was revealed to him by Christ. He confirmed, “As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a Ggospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!”
2/ Gospel: Who is my neighbor?
2.1/ What must I do to inherit the etermal life? This is a very important and practical question in life, and the questioner is a scribe. Though he already knew the answer, but he still tried to test Jesus. Instead of giving him the answer, Jesus asked 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 your entire mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” This answer is gotten by putting together the Deuteronomy 6:5 and the Leviticus 19:18. Later, Jesus abbreviated this answer by saying, “Love God and people.”
2.2/ Who is my neighbor? Although the distance between Jesusalem and Jericho is only about 20 miles, but the altitude between two cities are about 3,600 ft. This is a very dangerous road because of its narrow way and many rocky caves and bushes, hidden places for robbers. Not many people dare to travel alone on this road. The beaten one might be a Jew because he traveled from Jerusalem down. Jesus listed out three kinds of people and their different reactions when they saw him.
(1) A priest: He must be a Jew. The reason why he avoided the beaten might be because he is afraid to be unclean in seven days if he touches him and cannot serve in the Temple (Num 19:11). He regarded his service in the Temple above his compassion for the needed. He passed by on the opposite side.
(2) A Levite: He must also be a Jew. Levites’ duty is to serve in the Holy Place. Like a priest, he might fear that he will become unclean if he touches the half-dead. So, he passed by on the opposite side.
(3) Samaritans are the Jews’ enemies; they don’t want to share anything in common. When he saw the half-dead, he did not care if he is a Jew or not. He had a human compassion between a man and one in need. 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.”
2.3/ Jesus’ question: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We must study in order to differentiate between the true and the fake ones; if not, we shall easily be confused and deceived.
– Love God and love others as the way to reach the eternal life.
– We can’t love God and others by words, but must be expressed in our worship of God and do good deeds for others.