Gospel: Luke 9:46-50
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to 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 all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
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.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
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.’
Which of these three, 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Dorothy Griffin RIP.
Reflection:
The Jews and Samaritans were not in good terms for an exceedingly long time, brought about by religious and political differences. Perhaps Jesus had this in mind when He told the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Unlike the priest and Levite who avoided a fellow Jew who was left by robbers half-dead on the road, a Samaritan rose above the ancient animosity between his and the Jew’s tribes and treated the poor man with mercy. The mercy that the Good Samaritan showed is the kind of mercy God shows us – it does not know any bounds and overlooks any rift that has happened between God and us. On 22nd February 1931, Jesus appeared to Sr Maria Faustina Kowalska, a simple Polish nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The Lord asked her to dedicate her life to make His Mercy known and entrusted to her a mission of mercy: (1)To remind the world of God’s merciful love of God for every human being, no matter how great their sins; (2) To pray for God’s mercy for the whole world and particularly for sinners, especially through the practice of new forms of devotion to the Divine Mercy presented by Jesus, such as: the veneration of the image of the Divine Mercy with the inscription: Jesus, I trust in You, the feast of the Divine Mercy celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter, the chaplet to the Divine Mercy and prayer at the Hour of Mercy (3 p.m.); (3)To initiate an apostolic movement of Divine Mercy, proclaiming and entreating God’s mercy for the world. This “Secretary of Mercy” willingly offered her personal sufferings united with Jesus in atonement for the sins of the world. Through her works of mercy, she has encouraged people to put their trust in the Divine Mercy and prepare them for the Lord’s Second Coming.
- How far would your mercy go?
- What steps can you take to bring about healing between you and another person?
- “Act in such a way that all those who come in contact with you will go away joyful.” (St Faustina) How have we touched the lives of those around us?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Through the prayers and example of St Faustina Kowalska, grant us the grace to be merciful as You are merciful. Amen.
Sincerely,
Pietro
