WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:25-37

The British Referendum

Last month, the British people voted in a referendum, in which a majority decided to leave the European Union, causing an earthquake in British politics. Scotland and Northern Ireland do no want to leave the European Union and threaten instead to leave the United Kingdom and become independent states.

The analysts of the referendum pointed out that most of the young people voted to remain in the European Union, while a majority of the old people voted to leave. Like in most of the traditional societies, the old decide the future of the young and impose on them a future that they do no want.

There are many reasons why to leave was the winning option. The English were always very jealous of their independence and very proud of their parliament, but many of them have the feeling that their ability to make their own laws is being eroded or even taken away by the european institutions. Another big reason is their effort to control the flux of immigrants into their country. They think that their way of life and their culture is put at risk with the incoming waves of refugees.

They have forgotten that thousands upon thousands of British people emigrated and went all over the world. English has become a universal language, because the British colonised half of the world.

The refugees in Europe

However, we must remember that this fear of the refugees who come in waves is shared by many others in Europe, forgetting the suffering that many of their parents or grandparents had to endure when the war forced them into fleeing their countries. Certainly, there is the danger of members of the Islamic State mixing with the refugees and going into Europe to launch terrorist attacks, but Europe can make a well coordinated effort to screen the possible terrorists, while welcoming the thousands running away from war. Can we ignore them or treat them as waste which must be rejected or disposed of? Is that a human and Christian solution?

When we lose all sense of compassion for the children, the women, the young and the old running away in search of peace, then we are on the way to lose our own dignity. When we do not allow ourselves to be touched by the suffering of others, we become less human, being more and more like those they are running away from, because like them we have become callous, insensible to the suffering of others.

The parable of the Good Samaritan

As we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy, we are reminded time and again that we are called to be merciful as the Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). In his mercy and compassion, God comes close to us with his healing hand to make us whole again. In Jesus, we can see how God’s mercy and compassion was directed specially to the poor, the suffering and the oppressed. Whenever he cured someone, he did it moved by compassion. He was always touched by the suffering of all those that crossed his  life. Faced with the sufferings of people, Jesus never remained aloof or passed by, but he always made himself a neighbour to them. We may say that the parable of the Good Samaritan expresses his own attitude. In fact, he himself is the Good Samaritan, and we are invited to act in a similar manner.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a very actual parable, that we see repeated all around us. The victims of violence and crime are beyond counting. Who are these victims? Most of them are common people, just trying to survive. Most of them are anonymous, like the man of the parable; attacked by robbers, he remained half dead, hoping to receive help from passers by. With the wars in the Middle East and the terrorist attacks committed in different countries, there are many people in a similar situation.

In the parable, we are presented with three people who passed through that same road. Two of them were religious people, with a good knowledge of the Law and of the commandments of God, but they passed by, looking aside, ignoring their fellow human being whom they saw injured and dying. Surely they had good reasons to justifying themselves. Most probably, they were afraid of becoming impure, stopping them from performing their duties in the Temple; or they were in a hurry and had no time to waste; they might have thought that it was a trick or feared possible complications. For whatever reason, they did not consider to be social and culturally correct to approach the dying man and give him a hand. Like them, and many times with a sense of self-righteousness, we pass by and ignore the suffering of others.

Finally, a stranger - the Samaritan - was touched, and filled with compassion, he was unable to move ahead, leaving behind someone who was crying for help. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews, who considered  them as worse than pagans. However, this Samaritan was full of compassion and his compassion moved him into action to save the life of that injured man. He was being merciful like the Father, and the light of God was shining on his face. 

In the parable of the Last Judgement, Jesus tells us that we will be judged for our acts of mercy and compassion (Mt 25:31).

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in order to answer a question from a man of the Law: Who is my neighbour? But according to Jesus the question should be inverted. I should not ask who is my neighbour, but how do I become a neighbour to the ones in need whose lives I cross?