A message from Governor John Bel Edwards, August 19, 2016

[A message from Governor Edwards]

 Once again, we find ourselves coping with the devastating effects of a severe storm and record flooding.

I've spent the last week traveling to the hardest hit areas of our state -- offering assistance, gathering information and making sure that every Louisianan had the assistance they needed. Our work is nowhere near finished.

Now, we're moving into the recovery phase, and it is my commitment to every person in this state who has been impacted by this storm -- we will not forget you. At my request, 20 parishes in our state have received a federal disaster declaration, meaning much-needed assistance is on the way for families across South Louisiana.

Please keep in mind, this event is ongoing. But right now, there are ways you can help.

As this continues to develop we would like to provide the following information:

• First, there are people across South Louisiana that need assistance. If you're able, please consider making a donation to the Louisiana Flood Relief Fund by clicking here.
• If you or a loved one has evacuated and needs a place to go, we encourage you to click here and check this list of up-to-date shelter locations.
• Click here and visit FEMA's Louisiana disaster page to stay up-to-date with the latest information.
• Click here to find open shelters, contact and locate loved ones, and stay prepared with the Red Cross’ disaster recovery guide.
• If you've been impacted by this flooding, it is critical that you register with FEMA at www.disasterassistance.gov. This is the first step in getting you the assistance you need as quickly as possible.
• If you need any additional help, please feel free to contact the Governor’s office at (225) 342-7015
• You can follow the Governor’s office for continuously updated information on Facebook and Twitter.

Sam, Louisianans are resilient.

We know that in trying times like this, the best thing we can do is to come together and help our neighbors. I've seen this time and again as I've traveled the state in the wake of this flooding.

We will weather this storm together. We will do what Louisianians always do -- come together, look out for our families and our neighbors, and rebuild one day at a time.

Your safety is -- and will always be -- my number one priority. So please Sam, stay safe, stay updated and please continue to pray for our great state in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you and God bless,

Gov. John Bel Edwards

Father Riley's sermon from August 14, 2016

PENTECOST 13, PROPER XV - C- 16   LUKE 12. 49-56

 

 

“Can’t you read?” I sometimes hear myself asking that question out loud when another driver flies past me on the interstate obviously exceeding the posted speed limit. For some people it would seem, speed limits, do not enter, yield and other such signs are mere suggestions! Or else they choose to ignore them all together.

 

Our world is filled with signs. Signs tell us which way to go, or not to go. Signs tells us how fast we can go. Signs tells us when to stop. Signs communicate all kinds of things. But one has to be able to read and interpret the appropriate signs in order to understand them. Or we can be like some and simply choose to ignore them.

 

Today’s gospel seems a bit complex at the beginning. Jesus is talking about his coming to bring fire to the earth and he speaks of the baptism he is yet to endure. The fire he is bringing is the Word of God, echoing the prophet Jeremiah in today’s first lesson.

 

Fire is the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit. It both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless. The fire is God’s Truth, and the baptism Jesus is yet to endure is the crucifixion.

 

But God’s people just don’t seem to understand his kingdom message. They mis-interpret his message or else they ignore it altogether. How frustrating and disappointing that must have been for him knowing what lay ahead for him In Jerusalem.

 

So in the final few verses Jesus tries to bring it down to a level they will understand. “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘its going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘there will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

 

What did he mean? What were the signs of the present time? The sign of the present time was simply Jesus’ heralding the coming of the kingdom. He was the “sign” of the present time.

 

The prophets of old had spoken of kingdom “signs” centuries before Christ. Elijah would come, the prophecy said, before the Promised One. Jesus proclaimed Elijah had come in John Baptist. Some of God’s people responded to John’s message of repentance, as a means of preparing for the coming of Messiah, and confessed their sins and were baptized in the Jordan. Others ignored the “sign.”

 

John’s ministry of preaching and baptizing was a prelude to that of Jesus. Jesus began his ministry by exercising demons, and went on to open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, and heal one cripple after another, and even raised the dead all in fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Lord’s anointed.

 

But such divine actions only caused divisions among God’s people. Some believed, others doubted, and still others, who were in the know and should have recognized the “signs” planned to do away with him because of what he said and what he did.

 

The response of faith creates division, because not everyone wants to hear the Truth. Even the divisions Jesus spoke of in today’s passage are a fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy (7.6) written some 700 years before Christ. In our fallen world, divisions are necessary for Truth to be manifest.

 

Yet God’s people were blinded by their own expectations and thus failed to interpret the signs of the kingdom properly. Many thought that the Messiah would usher in a time of peace. But his presence and his words only seemed to inflame the people. The “peace” Jesus came to bring was the “Peace of God” which passes all of our human understanding; a peace that brings joy, and not the peace as we humans define it.

 

The difference being that human peace is basically a matter of “trade-offs. “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” As long as the arrangement is mutually satisfying hostilities will be avoided. It is a shallow harmony that results from ignoring the Truth.

The “Peace of God,” on the other hand, is basically a matter of Truth, Integrity, and Love. I’ll do this because it is the right and true and loving thing to do, not because of what I will get out of it.” The idea of peace, that is, the “Peace of God,” causes divisions because it means that we chose to avoid “trade-offs.”

Trade-offs seem to be the very stuff of human relations these days; our very identities are built on the trade-off of playing a role in exchange for approval and status. For people to suddenly claim that they can build their identity on another foundation namely, God’s love, shakes the whole system of human relationships to its roots. That is what Jesus did. His kingdom message upset the status quo.

Like Jeremiah before him, he spoke the truth. The fire he brought was the Word of God; a proclamation of the Gospel, and at the same time judgment and purification. The political and religious leaders knew he had to go. The fire Jesus brought threatened to burn up every false foundation upon which they and we try and base our individual and communal identities.

For casting this fire upon us, he was crucified. Neither then nor now can the powers that be permit the status quo to be confronted by the Truth because not everyone wants the truth. Division is a by-product. Yet divisions are also an opportunity to proclaim the truth.

The Church has from early on read this passage as a warning, and not as a suggestion. Each generation must read the “signs of the times,” that is, the great movements of people, governments, nations and policies, and must react accordingly.

If the Kingdom of God is to come on earth as it already is in heaven, part of the prophetic role of the Church is to understand the events of the earth and to seek to address them with the message of heaven. And if, like Jesus, we find that we seem to be bringing division, and that we ourselves become caught up in the crisis, so be it.

We can count ourselves in good company, the company of the Prophets, Apostles and Martyrs who in proclaiming the kingdom message brought “good news” to those who recognized the “signs” and knew how to interpret them and in doing so discovered, much to their joy, the Peace of God. AMEN+

 

 

Bishop Jake Owensby joined us at Sunday, August 7th, 2016

The congregation of Christ Episcopal Church enjoyed service and fellowship with Bishop Jake Owensby Sunday.  Bishop Jake presided over our 10am service, broke bread (and much more) with us at a wonderful lunch, and met with our vestry.  Bishop Jake expressed our togetherness in the Episcopal community.  You can follow Bishop Jake on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/jake.owensby

Bishop Jake's sermon can be read or listened to from his blogspot at:

https://jakeowensby.com

 

[Bishop Jake enjoyed lunch hidden from the camera behind the flowers on the table near the windows.  Sorry, the amateur staff photographer couldn't get a better picture.]

 

 

Forward: Day by Day for Monday, August 8th

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

 

Today we continue our journey with Jesus through John’s Gospel, encountering some of the most beloved messages of all time. Choose a verse from today’s gospel lesson and really think about it using lectio divina—divine reading—a way of intentionally reading a passage of scripture several times in order to explore the gospel wisdom. In preparing to write this meditation, I chose John 3:3, our framing quote for today.

 

This is how I practice lectio divina in my own way: I read the passage I’m studying out loud to myself, not for information but for understanding—to hear the words Jesus says spoken out loud. I read it again, slowly, and I ponder its meaning, applying it to my own life. I pray, seeking guidance: What is God saying to me here?

 

This new insight requires a surrender of the normal way of looking at things. Sometimes it’s more important to have a “viewing point” than a “point of view.” Lectio divina leads me to a different viewing point. I sense God’s redeeming love moving me to a different hilltop altogether.

 

PRAY for the Dioceses of Ely and Ely-Huntingdon (Canterbury, England)

Today the Church remembers Dominic, Priest and Friar, 1221.

Ps 89:1-18 * 89:19-52; Judges 12:1-7; Acts 5:12-26; John 3:1-21

Father Riley's sermon from July 31, 2016

[Bishop Jake Owensby will visit with us Sunday, August 7, 2016.  Bishop Jake will lead the 10am service and join us for lunch in the Whitaker Parish Hall following the service.  Please join us to visit with Bishop Jake.]

11 PENTECOST, PROPER XIII - C - 16      LUKE 12. 13-21

 

Each of the four gospels has a story or two of Jesus’ healing individuals of demonic possession. In each of these cases the demon or demons had literally dominated the person and was controlling his or her behavior. Jesus has the power in each case to free the individual from their possession, and he does so. Christ frees them to become what God created them to be.

In today’s gospel Christ speaks to a different kind of “possession,” after someone in the crowd asked him to arbitrate a property dispute. Jesus responds with the parable of a foolish rich man. Within the parable he gives us a warning; “…one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

The preacher, as he is sometimes called, in today’s first lesson, speaks of the “vanity” of toiling under the sun only to have what one has amassed in life in terms of one’s wealth and material possessions, fall into the hands of another who may or may not appreciate it.

Paul writes to the Christians at Colossae that “greed” is on the list of what we as followers of Christ are to “put to death,” that is, give up. We are to seek the things that are above, where Christ is. Could this possibly be what Jesus meant at the close of today’s gospel when he said we are to be “rich towards God?”

We are all “collectors” of one thing or another. Likewise we tend to hoard things. I have lived in the same house for more than thirteen years, longer than anywhere else. I must confess that there are boxes in the attic that were placed there when I first moved in that have never been opened.

I honestly cannot tell you what they contain. Whatever is inside I have not needed it in all of these years and obviously can live without it. The “preacher” would say that is “vanity” to hang on to such things.

Not too long ago I read an article that mentioned the fact that one of the fastest growing businesses was the building of these little storage places that seem to be popping up all over. People simply have too much “stuff.” We collect stuff and we hold on to our stuff. For some, possessions equal security for the future. But that kind of thinking is also vanity.

There are a number of things that can “possess” us in this life. Wealth and material things are at the top of the list. We can hold so tightly to these that they literally dominate our life and control our behavior as much as the demons Jesus exercised in the gospels. But demons are not part of the kingdom of God and neither is greed.

The obvious sign of “material possession” is greed. That is, the inordinate pursuit of more, like the man in today’s parable who decided to build a bigger barn to store more stuff in. “Vanity of vanities” the preacher would say. Jesus said he was simply foolish.

To set our minds on earthly things, making worldly success the goal of our life, or the standard by which we judge others, is to set our souls in jeopardy. Covetousness is one of the seven deadly sins. It can spill over into our relationships with others when we use others for personal gain; in the quest for status, power or security at their expense.

In essence we can dominate others, literally “possessing” them and controlling their behavior. We do this by imposing our will on others by force or intimidation, guile or whining, or our refusal to cooperate unless we get our own way. It is all about what we want and when we want it. False pride comes from quick wealth, no matter how we obtain it. Such behavior may bring earthly riches but we will be “poor” towards God.

We are simply diminished when things we possess end up possessing us. Being self-possessed is a condition which results from being seduced by self-centered, self-gratifying, self-serving purposes. To be all about self in terms of gaining more and more in life is to put the acquisition of things in the place of God which is idolatry.

Jesus’ farmer is called foolish not because of his gift of entrepreneurship. He is not called unjust because of his economic decision to replace old barns with larger ones. He is just foolish because he lives in and for himself. He will soon die and he has failed to make the distinction between what one has and what one is.

He is unable to know what is enough until he reaches the point of too much. His inordinate craving to hoard disregards those in need and places goods in the place of God. And he is never thankful for what he has, but is only interested in obtaining more. What does it profit him?

Greed is a sickness that preoccupies our mind, our thoughts, our action and our behavior. It dominates our life. Whatever possesses us, whenever there is a possession by possessions, needs to be exercised as much as any demon.

I admit that it is difficult to “let go” of things that we once placed so much value on, to turn from the life we once lived, where some equate possessions with security for the future. But Jesus says that we must for the kingdom is not like that. Our trust should be in the Providence of God alone and nothing should be in the place of Him.

To be rich towards God, as Jesus suggests, is to be God-possessed, that is, to live life in accordance with the values and priorities of God and His kingdom. Those who choose to follow Jesus and accept the kingdom message do so by emptying themselves of the quest for earthly treasure. Instead we are to “seek the things that are above, where Christ is…”

He alone has the power to free us from all that keeps us from being what God has created us to be. He alone has the power to strip us of the old self with its practices and clothe us with new life. For Christ is our life, as St. Paul says, and our future is with Him. AMEN+                             

Father Riley's sermon from July 24, 2016

[Our Bishop Jake Owensby will make his annual visit with us Sunday August 7th.  Please join us for the 10am service led by Bishop Jake and fellowship and lunch in the Whitaker Parish Hall following the service.]

10 PENTECOST, PROPER XII - C - 16     LUKE 11. 1-13

What is God really like? I have been asked that question many times over the years, even by a number of life-long Christians and by those who know nothing about the Christian faith. Perhaps you have been asked the same question, or maybe you have asked yourself “what is God really like?”

 

Where does one turn for the answer? And can we really know what God is like? Holy Scripture is our source for knowing God and our knowing about God. Today’s first lesson and the gospel join forces to reveal certain characteristics of a God who is loving, kind and faithful.

 

In the Genesis reading Abraham persists in bargaining with God about how many or how few innocent people it would take to spare the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. We might even say Abraham was pushing the envelope in his persistence seeing just how far he could go in his asking before God would say “enough.”

 

In this story God is clearly shown to be patient, one who leans towards mercy. He is willing to listen, not only to the cries of the people, but to Abraham’s plea for mercy on behalf of the people. He is the judge of the whole world but for the sake of ten just people within the walls of these wicked cities he will forego their total destruction.

 

In today’s gospel the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray after having observed Jesus at prayer. Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, as we know it, is said by some to be closer to the original than Matthew’s expanded version. Either way it helps to answer the question “what is God like?”

 

Jesus gives us the parable of the friend at midnight to reinforce what God is like, and to show that our asking of God, that is our petitions, especially for “daily bread” is always heard.

 

The laws of hospitality in the ancient Middle East were strict. If a traveler arrived needing food and shelter one was under obligation to provide it. The friend in the street knows that the friend in bed will understand, even if his asking is at an inconvenient hour; he would do the same if the roles were reversed. What counts is persistence.

 

Prayer is first of all about asking. What Jesus is encouraging by giving us this parable is a kind of holy boldness, a sharp knocking at the door, an insistent asking, a search that refuses to give up. That, Jesus says, is what our prayer should be like. This kind of prayer is more than a routine or formal kind of praying; it is a means of engaging in and combating spiritual warfare.

 

Just look at our world today, our nation, our state. There are so many things to pray for and about that are urgent, complex, and important. Liturgical prayer has it’s place in corporate worship when we gather together, as the family of God, to offer our prayers as the Body of Christ. Together we lift up our hearts to God. But each of us has to be engaged in regular and disciplined daily prayer outside the confines of these holy walls.

 

We are to pray out of the privileged relationship we enjoy through our adoption as God’s sons and daughters. We do that by acknowledging that relationship in the beginning of our prayers by addressing God as Father as Jesus has taught us. We pray by focusing on God’s holiness and our unworthiness and on what God ought to achieve in the world. We need to pray for the needs of the community for sustenance, forgiveness, and God’s help. And in light of the turmoil that exists in our nation today, we need to pray for peace.

 

Jesus teaches that prayer is indeed asking, but that our asking is subordinate to the purposes of God. It is important for us to realize this. He does not tells us that we shall get what we want when we ask; or that when we seek, that we shall find what we expect; or that when we knock at the door, that what awaits us on the other side will be altogether to our liking. Rather, it will be what God deems best for us.

 

The point of the parable is not that God is like a man who does not want to be bothered and answers prayers only because he is tried of listening. Rather it is the typical rabbinic argument from the lesser to the greater; if even this reluctant man responds to requests, how much more will God, who is anxious to meet our needs. The parable demonstrates God’s faithfulness to those who are in need and who pray with persistence.

 

Neither is the “Lord’s Prayer,” as we have come to know it, not just a loosely connected string of petitions. It is a prayer that grows out of the very mission of Jesus himself. When asked to teach his disciples to pray, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and the cross. He is going on behalf of the Father to accomplish the opening of the kingdom to all who believe in Him.

 

He was already offering forgiveness, and would accomplish it completely in his death. He was already demanding from his followers that they imitate the graciousness of God in forgiving their enemies as well as each other. This is the only place in the prayer that refers to Christian action. Jesus’ response to his disciples stands as a framework for wider praying. It did then, and it does now.

 

The gospel lesson ends today with a repetition of the theme; that we never ask, seek, or knock in vain; that we are to persist by keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. In prayer, we can expect to be heard, to be attended to. We may not expect that all of our wants and desires will be met, but we can expect that God will give us what is best for us, our daily bread.

 

What is God like? God is as father and sustainer; God is friend to whom we may go, even in the dead of night, and ask without shame or embarrassment. God listens to, and is open to those who approach him. And God is the giver of all good things through the gift of the Holy Spirit; the first gift for those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Redeemer, who is the true bread which came down from heaven and gives life to the world. AMEN+

 

 

 

Father Riley's sermon for July 17, 2016

[Bishop Jake Owensby will make his annual visit to Christ Episcopal Church August 7, 2016, and conduct our 10am Sunday service with fellowship to follow.  All are invited to join us to welcome the Bishop to St. Joseph.]

 

 

9 PENTECOST, PROPER XI - C- 16     LUKE 10. 38-42

 

Again St. Luke presents us with a well-known story. Jesus has been invited to dinner at the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha in Bethany, a small village not far from Jerusalem.

 

Because we know the story so well there is no real need to go into every little detail. Rather, let’s take a look at it from the standpoint of two questions. First, who is “serving” the Lord here? Is it Martha? Or is it Mary? Or both? Next, Jesus says Mary has chosen the “better portion.” What does he mean?

 

Hospitality in the Middle East before and during the time of Jesus meant everything. Just look at today’s first lesson. Abraham receives three unexpected guests (The Holy Trinity) and goes out of his way to provide hospitality. He focuses his undivided attention on the visitors in order to meet their every need. Abraham, we might say, is present to them and his attentiveness is rewarded with the promise of a son.

 

It would seem from today’s gospel story that Martha is going all out to provide hospitality to Jesus. A simple meal consisting of a single dish would have been sufficient for the time. But it would appear that she is doing much more than what is socially required and or expected.

 

Her attention is focused on her “serving” Jesus’ physical needs, so much so, that she is distracted and becomes upset with her younger sister who is just sitting there listening to Jesus. “Can’t you tell Mary to help me?” She asks Jesus. To which Christ responds, “Martha, Martha, you are doing too much. One dish is plenty. Mary has chosen the better portion.” I love Jesus’ use of the word “portion” in this case. A portion is in itself a “serving.”

 

Martha is “serving” in her own way. Mary is “serving” Jesus in her own way and in doing so brings nourishment to Christ’s spirit. She has given him her undivided attention, making herself present to Him in a most real way much in the same manner as Abraham did with his three visitors in today’s first lesson.

 

Wouldn’t we all like to know what Jesus was telling Mary? Was He speaking of the kingdom of His Father, or simply telling her about the Father. Luke doesn’t say. Whatever it was Mary was captivated by it to the frustration of her sister Martha.

 

Martha thought she was doing what was needed by providing hospitality. She thought she was meeting Jesus’ needs in every way that was expected and then some. While Mary, at least in the eyes of Martha, was doing nothing. But in reality Martha was distracted with Mary and allowed her distraction to take her away from what was really important, making herself present to Jesus as Mary did.

 

How true is all of that today in terms of human relationships. By that, I mean how often we encounter another human being but never really make ourselves present to them. Oh we speak and sometimes engage in conversation, but are never really present. Blame it on distractions or the fact that we are simply too busy to give ourselves to another person. And then again most of us have been on the receiving end.

 

When I was a full-time rector of a large parish social events were frequent. There were baptismal parties, engagement parties, and wedding receptions to name a few. And because I was the rector I was most often invited to such events.

 

It was a common occurrence, at least for me, to have someone walk up  and greet me, and I in turn attempt to strike up a conversation, only to realize that they were not really present to me. Their eyes were looking past me, checking out the room to see who else was there that they had rather speak to, and when they sighted that person would politely make their exit with a smile.

 

No interpersonal bond took place. Just a subtle nicety. Although you made yourself present to that person, they did not reciprocate. Presence was given but not received. Distraction took the other person away, leaving you standing there somewhat disappointed.

 

To answer our first question “who is serving Jesus?” The answer is of course Mary. Mary is “serving” Jesus by giving him her “real” presence in a way that exceeds Martha’s hospitality. Mary’s undivided attention has nourished Christ’ humanness in a way that physical food could never do. And, not to be overlooked is Jesus’ “serving” Mary as the “servant of God.”

 

Brother Lawrence, a 14^th century monk, wrote a spiritual classic entitled “Practicing The Presence of God.” His little book is all about our learning to make ourselves present to God whatever the surroundings or humble the situation might be. We must learn to acknowledge that God is always present to us at all times and in all places and learn to be present to Him.

 

It is easier to do, for most of us, when we enter this sacred space and tougher out there in the market place of life where it is difficult to find Him with so many distractions. This is where we come to think about God, listen to His word and receive the Holy Sacrament. This, above all places should be where we give God our undivided attention. There is reason most churches are referred to as sanctuaries. Here we can escape from the world outside and “practice the presence of God.”

 

Church custom has always been to enter in silence, and acknowledge the altar before entering the pew and kneeling to say our prayers prior to the beginning of the service. Have we become so lax in our worship that we have forgotten where we are? In whose presence we come? The Real Presence of Jesus is here. The Sanctuary Lamb reminds us.

 

Are we so much like Martha that we allow ourselves to be distracted upon entering this Holy Space by bringing the outside world’s distractions with us? To do so is to fall into poor spiritual habits that carry over into worship and in our human relationships. This is a Holy place consecrated to the worship and glory of God.

 

It is, and should be unlike any other place we enter during the week. There should be sights, sounds, and on occasion even smells that are not encountered anywhere else. Our behavior, then, while in this Holy space, likewise should be different; our posture different; our responses different and our attention undivided as we make our presence “real” to God, by being attentive to the hearing of God’s Holy Word and humbled in receiving the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of His only Son, Jesus.

 

It is in learning to make ourselves truly present to God, first in worship, then, no matter the surroundings or the circumstances, that we in turn are able to make ourselves present to one another. Making ourselves present to God and neighbor is a means by which we “serve” both.

 

Our relationship to God is in a person, Jesus Christ, and through Him to God the Father. It is a community Jesus came to build, one relationship at a time; a community based on Love. To know Him as He knows us is to Love Him as He Loves us.

 

Mary had the better “portion” because she had come to know Him. In the giving of her “real” presence to Christ an interpersonal and everlasting bond was established; one based on Love. That relationship, that bond, and the Love that comes with it is “the better portion.” 

 

And the promise of Jesus to Mary, and to all who give themselves to Him, is that “portion” will never be taken away. AMEN+

 

 

 

 

Father Riley's homily for July 10, 2016

8 PENTECOST, PROPER X - C - 16     LUKE 10. 25-37

 

Today’s collect sets the tone for today’s Gospel passage: “O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have the grace and power faithfully to accomplish them…”

 

It would appear that the lawyer in today’s gospel who asked Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” already knew the answer. His question was a standard rabbinical one to which there were standard answers, much like the questions and answers in our own Catechism. Jesus confirms his answer and directs him to go and live it and he will indeed inherit eternal life.

 

Each of the synoptic present a version of this same question. In Mark, for example, a scribe asks Jesus which commandment is “the first of all?” Jesus answers with the summary of the law, “ we are to love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind; and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.” There is no other commandment greater than these two.

 

The scribe recognized the truth of Jesus’ response and commented that such love for God and others is much more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices. Jesus was surprised by his comment and told the scribe in turn that he was not far from the kingdom of God.

 

Matthew says that the question comes from a Pharisee. His version of the incident emphasizes the fact that the command to love one’s neighbor as oneself “is like” the command to love God with one’s whole being. Although each of the Synoptic presents us with a different version of the question the basic message is the same: love God first, then our neighbor as ourselves.

 

The uniqueness and richness of each of the gospel accounts lies in their individual contributions to the over all picture of Jesus and His teachings that tell us who he really is and what he is all about. For example, Luke alone gives us the parable of the Good Samaritan that appears in today’s gospel as a response to the lawyer’s second question “who is my neighbor?”

 

It appears that Jesus’ response to his initial question was not enough. The lawyer leaves God out of his second question, perhaps because he thinks he knows all he needs to know about God, and focuses entirely on the concept of “neighbor.”

 

His sole purpose in asking the second, however, is to justify himself in the eyes of God; hoping that in the final analysis God would find him acceptable. The answer Jesus gives surely must have shocked as well as surprised him.

 

During the time of Jesus, Jews and Samaritans literally hated each other. This hatred had gone on for hundreds of years and is still reflected in the smoldering tension between Israel and Palestine today. Both sides claim to be the true inheritors of the promise to Abraham and Moses; both sides, in consequence, regard themselves as the rightful possessors of the land.

 

Few Israelis today will travel from Galilee to Jerusalem by the direct route, because it will take them through the West Bank and risk violence. In exactly the same way, most first century pilgrims making the same journey would prefer, as Jesus did himself, to travel down the Jordan Valley to Jericho and then turn West up the hill to Jerusalem. It was much safer.

 

Some might go so far as to say that Jesus’ response was not “politically correct.” The priest, who represented the highest religious leadership among the Jews does not come off well, and neither does the Levite, who, in the time of Jesus, was a Lay-Associate of the priest. The Samaritan, on the other hand, was not expected to show mercy to any Jew. And As far as Jews were concerned, there were no “good” Samaritans.

 

With that said, the one thing that has always interested me about this well-known story is the fact that the lawyer had not asked “how” one is to be a loving neighbor, he had asked how one is to recognize the neighbor we are called to love. He asked “who;” he was told “how.”

 

We are familiar with the story, and we get the point. The Samaritan’s actions are the gospel ideal. And like the lawyer, we are to “go and do likewise.” But wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we only knew who it was we are called to love instead of “how?” if only we could identify those persons. If only we could get a list.

 

If God would only provide their names for me at the beginning of each day as I prayed the Morning Office. Then, I could be on the look out for those individuals throughout the day expecting to find them. But it doesn’t work that way. I don’t know and you don’t know. Because God’s love is unconditional towards us, our love of neighbor is to be likewise; nothing less than a reflection of His.

 

We are not provided with a list in advance, and we never will be. Jesus’ description of “how” we are to love tells us that the “who” is open-ended. Neighborly love knows no limit. The moral of the story is “if you see someone in the ditch, go and help them.” Neighbor is anyone in need.

 

What is at stake, then and now, is the question of whether we will use the God-given revelation of love and grace as a way of boosting our own sense of isolated security and purity, or whether we will see it as a call, a challenge to extend that love and grace to the whole world.

 

No Church, no Christian, can remain content with easy definitions which allow us to watch most of the world lying half dead in the road and do nothing.

 

Rather we pray that we may know and understand what things we ought to do, and that God in his wide reaching grace and mercy will give us the power to faithfully accomplish them, that is, to live the gospel ideal, not in hope of justifying ourselves before God, but for the Glory of God and for the sake of Him who died and rose again, even Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AMEN+