DECIMOQUINTO DOMINGO DEL TIEMPO ORDINARIO 2025.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, las lecturas de este domingo nos invitan a reflexionar sobre la vida eterna: qué tenemos que hacer para alcanzarla y qué estamos haciendo mientras estamos en la tierra. En este sentido, permítanme compartir con ustedes algunas preguntas importantes: ¿Recuerdas cuántos mandamientos tiene la Ley de Dios? ¿Son imposibles de cumplir? ¿Cuál es el resumen de todos ellos? ¿Sabes quién es tu prójimo? ¿Eres prójimo de alguien?

Queridos hermanos y hermanas: hoy hemos escuchado a Moisés aconsejando al pueblo de Israel que cumpla los mandamientos de Dios y advirtiéndoles de que no son misteriosos ni están lejos, en el cielo, sino que están cerca, en sus bocas y en sus corazones. Les recordó que no están al otro lado del mar, sino muy cerca, en sus bocas y en sus corazones. Moisés les decía a los israelitas que la ley de Dios no está lejos de nosotros ni es imposible de alcanzar, porque ya está con nosotros, ya la conocemos y solo necesitamos cumplirla y ponerla en práctica en nuestro día a día. Los mandamientos son un camino para estar siempre en la presencia de Dios y poder ir al cielo cuando muramos.

En el Evangelio, un doctor de la Ley se acerca a Jesús y le hace dos preguntas importantes. Jesús, a su vez, le da dos respuestas y algunos consejos. La primera es: «¿Qué debo hacer para heredar la vida eterna?»; la segunda: «¿Quién es mi prójimo?». La tercera es de Jesús al doctor de la ley: «¿Qué está escrito en la Ley?». «¿Qué lees en ella?» La cuarta es justo después de la parábola del «Buen Samaritano»: «¿Cuál de estos tres te parece que se portó como prójimo del hombre que fue asaltado por los ladrones?».

A la primera pregunta, Jesús responde que la respuesta está en la Sagrada Escritura: «Amarás al Señor, tu Dios, con todo tu corazón, con toda tu alma y con toda tu mente. Este es el primero y grande mandamiento. Y el segundo es semejante a este: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo».

Entonces, el escriba preguntó a Jesús: «¿Y quién es mi prójimo?». Jesús le respondió con la parabola del buen samaritano. En ella, encontramos dos respuestas ante la necesidad de una persona herida y abandonada al borde del camino: la primera, la de un levita y un sacerdote que pasaron de largo sin detenerse; la segunda. Ellos se comportaron como quien se da cuenta de la situación, pero no quiere hacer nada para remediar el dolor del que sufre. La segunda respuesta es la del samaritano que se acercó al herido, lo vendó y cuidó de él.

Después de contar la parábola, Jesús le preguntó al doctor de la ley quién se había comportado como prójimo del herido. Este respondió: «El que tuvo misericordia de él». Finalmente, Jesús le recomendó que hiciera lo mismo. Según este pasaje del Evangelio, para obtener la vida eterna son necesarias dos cosas. Una es amar a Dios, al prójimo y a uno mismo, y la otra es servir a los necesitados.

En este contexto, ser prójimo significa acercarse y ayudar a quienes nos necesitan. Mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, Jesús nos dice hoy que el amor a Dios debe convertirse en amor a nuestros hermanos y hermanas, en amor a los necesitados, a los heridos y a los que sufren. Convertirse en prójimo significa acercarse a ellos y curar sus heridas. Jesús no quiere que pasemos de largo como si no nos importaran los sufrimientos de nuestros hermanos y hermanas. Jesús invita al doctor de la ley a que vaya y se comporte como un prójimo, es decir, como una persona que se hace cercana a quienes le necesitan. Por tanto, no se trata de preguntarnos quién está cerca de nosotros, sino a quién debemos acercarnos y ponernos a disposición de sus necesidades.

Creo que sería muy bueno, después de salir de esta misa, mirar a nuestro alrededor, ya sea en nuestra casa, en nuestra familia, en nuestro barrio o en nuestra sociedad, y preguntarnos a quién podríamos acercarnos hoy, a quién podríamos dar nuestro amor, afecto y apoyo. ¿Quién necesita mis cuidados y talentos? Permítanme decir que, en estos días en los que los medios de comunicación y los teléfonos móviles se han convertido en nuestros confidentes, tal vez podríamos apartarnos de ellos por un momento y acercarnos a alguien de carne y hueso para transmitirle nuestro amor a través de gestos y abrazos que demuestren que las personas nos importan más que nuestros dispositivos móviles. Tal vez podríamos utilizarlos para cuidar de alguien o para hacernos presentes y curar a quien necesite nuestro amor y nuestros talentos. Vayan y sean prójimos. Amén.

P. Luis Segura

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FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, this Sunday's readings invite us to reflect on eternal life: what we must do to attain it and what we are doing while we are on earth. In this regard, allow me to share with you some important questions: Do you remember how many commandments God's Law contains? Are they impossible to keep? What is the summary of them all? Do you know who your neighbor is? Are you someone's neighbor?

Dear brothers and sisters, today we heard Moses advising the people of Israel to keep God's commandments, warning them that they are not mysterious or far away, in heaven, but near, in their mouths and in their hearts. He reminded them that they are not on the other side of the sea, but very close, in their mouths and in their hearts. Moses told the Israelites that God's law is not far from us or impossible to reach, because it is already with us; we already know it, and we only need to fulfill it and put it into practice in our daily lives. The commandments are a way to always be in God's presence and to be able to go to heaven when we die.

In the Gospel, a lawyer approaches Jesus and asks him two important questions. Jesus, in turn, gives him two answers and some advice. The first is: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"; the second: "Who is my neighbor?" The third is from Jesus to the lawyer: "What is written in the Law?" "What do you read in it?" The fourth is immediately after the parable of the "Good Samaritan": "Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?"

To the first question, Jesus replies that the answer is in Sacred Scripture: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Then the scribe asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. In it, we find two responses to the need of a wounded person abandoned by the roadside: the first, that of a Levite and a priest who passed by without stopping; the second, they behaved as someone who was aware of the situation but did not want to do anything to alleviate the pain of the sufferer. The second response is that of the Samaritan who approached the wounded man, bandaged him, and cared for him.

After telling the parable, Jesus asked the lawyer who had acted as a neighbor to the wounded man. He replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Finally, Jesus recommended that he do the same. According to this Gospel passage, two things are necessary to obtain eternal life. One is to love God, one's neighbor, and oneself, and the other is to serve those in need.

In this context, being a neighbor means drawing near to and helping those in need. My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus tells us today that love for God must become love for our brothers and sisters, love for the needy, the wounded, and those who suffer. Becoming a neighbor means drawing near to them and healing their wounds. Jesus does not want us to pass by as if we were unconcerned about the sufferings of our brothers and sisters. Jesus invites the lawyer to go and behave as a neighbor, that is, as a person who makes himself close to those in need. Therefore, it is not a question of asking ourselves who is close to us, but rather whom we should draw near to and make ourselves available to meet their needs.

I think it would be very good, after leaving this Mass, to look around us, whether in our home, in our family, in our neighborhood, or in our society, and ask ourselves who we could reach out to today, to whom we could give our love, affection, and support. Who needs my care and talents? Let me say that, in these days when the media and cell phones have become our confidants, perhaps we could step away from them for a moment and reach out to someone in the flesh to convey our love through gestures and hugs that show that people matter more to us than our mobile devices. Perhaps we could use them to care for someone or to be present and heal someone who needs our love and talents. Go and be neighbors. Amen.

Fr. Luis Segura

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The ‘Disciple of the Way’…

The Gospel of today’s Liturgy recounts the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:25-37) — we all know it. In the backdrop is the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Jericho along which lies a man who had been beaten badly and robbed by brigands. A priest passing by sees him but does not stop; he keeps on going. A Levite, someone who performed services in the temple, does the same thing. “But a Samaritan”, the Gospel says, “as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion” (v. 33). Let us not forget these words — “he had compassion” on him. This is what God feels every time he sees us in a problem, in sin, in misery. “He had compassion” on him. The Evangelist makes it a point to specify that this Samaritan was on a journey. So, even though he had his own plans and was heading towards a distant destination, this Samaritan does not come up with an excuse but allows himself to get involved. He allows himself to get involved with what had happened along the road. Let us think about this: isn’t the Lord teaching us to do just that? To look off into the distance, to our final destination, while paying close attention to the steps to take here and now in order to get there.

The “disciple of the Way” — that is, we Christians — observes, therefore, that his or her way of thinking and of acting gradually changes, becoming more and more conformed to that of the Master. Walking in Christ’s footsteps, the disciple becomes a wayfarer and — like the Samaritan — learns to see and to have compassion. He sees and has compassion on him. First of all, to see: his eyes are open to reality, not egotistically closed in on the circle of his own thoughts. Instead, the priest and the Levite see the unfortunate man, but they pass by as if they do not see him, they look the other way. The Gospel teaches us to see — it leads each of us to correctly understand reality, overcoming preconceptions and dogmatism each day. So many believers take refuge behind dogmatisms to defend themselves from reality. Then, it teaches us to follow Jesus, because following Jesus teaches us to have compassion — to become aware of others, especially those who suffer, those who are most in need, and to intervene like the Samaritan, not to pass by but to stop.

Faced with this Gospel parable, it can happen that we might blame others or blame ourselves, pointing fingers at others, comparing them to the priest or the Levite — “This person, that person goes on, that one doesn’t stop…” — or even to blame ourselves, counting our own failures to pay attention to our neighbors. But I would like to suggest another type of exercise to you all, not one that finds fault, no. Certainly, we must recognize when we have been indifferent and have justified ourselves. But let us not stop there. We must acknowledge this, it is a mistake. But let us ask the Lord to help us overcome our selfish indifference and put ourselves on the Way. Let us ask him to see and to have compassion. This is a grace we need to ask of the Lord: “Lord, that I might see, that I might have compassion just like you see me and have compassion on me”. This is the prayer that I suggest to you today. “Lord, that I might see and have compassion just like you see me and have compassion on me” — that we might have compassion on those whom we encounter along the way, above all on those who suffer and are in need, to draw near to them and do what we can do to give them a hand.

May the Virgin Mary accompany us on this journey of growth. May she, who “shows us the Way”, that is Jesus, help us also to become ever more “disciples of the Way”. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 7 10 22]

Rev. Rajesh Peter M.S.C

15th Sunday –  Cycle C

"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life ?" 

My friends, Saint Luke the Evangelist begins by “setting the stage” for today’s Gospel Reading in the first few lines:

• A Scholar of the Law, whose intention was to test Jesus.

• Jesus, who was acknowledged by the Scholar as a teacher.

• The test, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life ?"

• The wisdom and knowledge of Jesus, who turns the table and said to the Scholar (in so many words), “You’re the expert in the Law, you tell me.”

• The Scholar quotes Leviticus 19:18 with the Two Great Commandments “You shall love God with all your being and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

• The cunningness of the Scholar, who wanted to justify his prejudice with the question, "And who is my neighbor ?"

The story Jesus told about the Good Samaritan is as relevant today as is was 2,000 years ago with what's going on today in the world, our country, our neighborhoods.    

The bigotry, hatred, racism, shootings.  People mistreating people.  Ignoring people in need, just like the priest and Levite in our gospel.   

Our First Reading, written centuries ago, is just as appropriate today as it was when Moses spoke these words:

 "If only you would heed the voice of the LORD with all your heart and soul. This command is not mysterious. It's not up in the sky – that you cannot understand.  It is something already in your hearts.  You only have to carry it out."

And here we are today – still – with so much racism and hate.   Hatred of a people – we don’t even know !  People are rejected because of their country of origin, their religion, the color of their skin, their sexual orientation or their ideology.

During the time of Jesus:

• The Sadducees looked down at the Pharisees; the Pharisees looked down at the Sadducees.  They both looked down at the poor.  Rather than helping the poor – they despised them.

• The Jews hated the Samaritans – and the Samaritans hated the Jews.

• Remember the Samaritan Woman ?  Telling Jesus that her people worshipped God on the Mountain – and the Jews worshipped God in the Temple. 

• And Jesus told her:  “Some day we will worship God not in any special place – but in Spirit and Truth.”

As mentioned earlier, the reason the Scholar of the Law tested Jesus regarding the definition of 'neighbor' was to justify his own prejudice.  He knew well what 'neighbor' meant. He obeyed the letter of the Law, hoping he was in good shape with God.  But deep down inside he knew. 

So – Jesus tells the wonderful story of the Good Samaritan, explaining:

Everyone – Everyone – Everyone – is our neighbor.  Even those people and those people…

My friends, each and everyone of us was loved into creation by God, who is love.  We were given two Great Commandments to Love God and Love one another.  It’s that Second One that’s been holding us back since the time of Cain and Able.

There’s only one way to have peace on earth.  Loving one another – one person at a time. 

As disciples of Jesus, each and everyone of us are called to follow the advice he gave to the man in our gospel:  "Go – and do likewise…."