💖 HOMILY - OCTOBER 9 💖

First Reading - Jonah 1:1-11 

Gospel - Luke 10:25-37

What is more easy and cosy? It's to escape occasions of responsibility. When we assume a responsibility, we are burdened with liabilities. Therefore, to avoid a responsibility means to remain unaffected and comfortable in the safer zone. However, the readings of today teach us to come to the periphery from our comfort zones, to take responsibility and beat a cosy life of selfishness.

The first reading narrates a beautiful story of the prophet Jonah. It's startling because the story mentions about the concern of God for the gentile nation, the Ninevites apart from Israel. The story raises the eyebrows of the Israelites for they thought God is only concerned about them and other nations are far from the mercy of God. The fleeing of the prophet from going to Nineveh recalls the stubbornness of Israel to repentance. There lies a paradox in the story. It's satirical in the sense, it mocks the lives of Israelites who were supposed to be receptive of the message of God but the gentile people seemed more receptive than the Israelites in the story. 

The refusal of Jonah to go to Nineveh on the command of God shows his unwillingness to take the responsibility. He wants to escape from the work of God and tries to flee to the comfortable zone of his life but God redirects him to his responsibility.

The gospel passage presents a beautiful example of love in the person of a Samaritan. The Samaritan becomes an example to be imitated by Jews in the parable of Jesus. 

The Samaritans were arch enemies of Jews due to the historical situation but Jesus sets a Samaritan as an example to be emulated. This is a paradox of life where the example of an enemy becomes a message.

Jesus teaches, by the parable, that it's love that impels to take responsibility. The same love is mirrored by the Samaritan who observed a man lying half dead and filled with compassion headed to care for the injured. The contrary figures also appear in the parable in Priest and Levite, who were religious figures and most likely people to have helped the injured man but they refused to take responsibility for the injured man. 

Dear friends, there is a need for us to take responsibility for our brothers and sisters who are in need and vulnerable. It's always easy and comfortable to wash our hands from those affairs which can soil us or challenge us or demand responsibility from us. It's indeed difficult to take responsibility for the needy people because it requires extra effort and challenge as is seen in the Samaritan who took extra trouble to bandage the injured man and took him to the inn. It's only love for our fellow brothers and sisters that can strengthen us to take up challenge and to go extra mile in their sufferings. It's then we will prove that we love our neighbours which is the injunction of Jesus for us. 

Let's not escape like Jonah from our responsibility for our needy brothers and sisters but become like the good Samaritan who understood the need of the injured person.

We can become the good Samaritan by perceiving the hurt a person is undergoing, by listening to the person who has suffered a lot, by spending time with the forlorn, and by caring for the vulnerable. Let's try to become good Samaritan everyday of our lives.