15th Sunday OT, Year C
Alexander Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
What is that feeling? You know the one. It’s the feeling you get when you see a person get of their car and leave the lights on. Or when you pass by someone who is clearly struggling with something. All of a sudden, you start thinking to yourself of reasons that you need to keep moving, that you can’t spare a few moments, that whatever you just saw is none of your business and will probably work out in the end anyway.
Is it guilt? You’d never admit to yourself that it is guilt, because then you’d have to admit that you did something wrong. No, it was just a passing thought; you noticed something, thought about it, and moved on. Nothing wrong, no guilt, no reason to be bothered. Of course, these are tiny things and might easily be overlooked, bypassed, and lead to no real harm, but they prove something to us. This is the same proof, the same argument that Moses used 3000 years ago. “This command… is not too mysterious and remote… No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts.”
He’s talking about the Natural Law. He’s talking about the gut instinct that every healthy human being has that can be boiled down to 4 simple words:
Do Good. Avoid Evil.
We can call it conscience, human decency, or good old fashioned manners. Regardless, we know it’s there and we are fooling ourselves if we think its not.
Do good, avoid evil. Simple right? And yet, what a mess we make of ourselves. If every human being already has this “in their hearts,” what about the events in Baton Rouge and Dallas? Part of the problem is this: A simple phrase like “do good” can get really tricky when you ask the next logical question: “What’s good?” and “What’s evil?” The scholar of the law asks this same basic question, he just jumps the real reason it matters. Eternal life is a good thing and you have to “do good” in order to get it. So, asking “what must I do to inherit eternal life” is the same thing as asking “What is good?”
Jesus answers the question the same way he answers all similar questions: Obey the Commandments. These commandments are built on two main ideas: Love God, Love your neighbor. You’ve probably heard this so much that you’re sick of it. But there is something subtle going on here. The whole interchange between the Jesus and the scholar tells us something important.
Now, I hope it’s safe to assume that everyone pretty much gets the fact that what the Samaritan did was a good thing. I hope everyone understands, at least on an intellectual level, that it is a good thing help people in need. And yet, if it is so obvious, why does Jesus tell this drawn-out parable to make that point? Well, it’s because there is a serious question of interpretation in the background.
The scholar of the law is just that, a scholar. He studied the bible and he knew it well. When he quotes that passage about “love your neighbor” he is referring to a specific part of the Old Testament: Leviticus 19. In that part of the bible, the context makes some people think that “neighbor” only means fellow Jews, but other people think it means everybody. This was a serious biblical debate and the scholar is trying to get Jesus’ expert opinion on the matter. He gets his answer and, even more importantly, he gets a reminder of what that Truth should look like in action.
Even though Moses told the Israelites that they already know the Truth in their hearts, he is simultaneously giving them a detailed set of laws from God himself that tell them to do all sorts of things no one would ever guess. Don’t eat pork? Circumcision? If Moses means what he says, how can these be laws? Because God said so? Sort of?
The reality is a bit more complicated. Yes, human beings have a natural instinct of right and wrong, but we are imperfect, fallen, and usually selfish. We can be blind to what is really right and eventually trains ourselves to not even notice that something is wrong. We can blame Adam and Eve for that, but it’s not like we’re totally helpless. Moses was making a point about the essence of the Law and Jesus is making a point about the essence of his New Law. The main point is Love, but this definitely does not get rid of the need for laws, rules, scholars, teachers, and most importantly… examples.
The parable of the Good Samaritan, the Merciful Samaritan, tells us much more than that we should help people bleeding on the side of the road. It also tells us a lot about human nature. The first two people to walk by the victim experienced that feeling I mentioned at the beginning. They didn’t want to be bothered, even though they knew that it was a Jewish law that you should bury the dead and love your neighbor. But the last one, he really knew what was right and had the courage to do it, despite racial boundaries.
So, yes, you can think about how you would act in a similar situation. Are you a robber? Are you a victim? A lazy priest or Levite? Are you the Samaritan? But I have a different question. Are you like the scholar of the Law or one of the many people standing by and listening to this exchange? The scholar had a question about biblical interpretation and Jesus answered. His contrast between lazy Jew and merciful Samaritan highlighted the point that we have a instinctive desire to do what his good. His willingness to answer the scholar’s question and his command to follow the example of the Samaritan tell us that it is okay to ask questions when our conscience fails us.
In fact, you should ask questions about right and wrong. That is why we have the Church, who continues Jesus’ teaching ministry. Yes, you should follow your conscience, but you should know that your conscience is not infallible. It needs to be formed. Especially in today’s world, right and wrong are all kinds of confused. But God is never confused and the Truth is something objective. There was only one right answer to the scholar’s question and what is good does not change with the latest opinion, even if it’s the opinion of priests and bishops.
What is marriage? What is sexuality and gender? How should I treat my body? How should I treat the bodies of others? Is that medical procedure wrong or right? What’s the difference between justice and revenge? Is love a feeling or a choice?
Yes, we know the basic idea: do good, avoid evil, but we are fallen and easily confused. The fact is… we need the Church and her actual teaching. We need Christ, who will “reconcile all things” in himself.
Do you want to help the bleeding man on the road? Or our bleeding country? You need to know how to treat his wounds, how to use the wine and oil, where to find an inn. If you poison him with bad wine and call it “good,” does it make it good? If you know what’s good, but look the other way, what’s the point? So I urge you, my dear souls, ask the master, ask the Church, trust the answer, and then, be the example to the rest of the world. I say to you with our Lord: Go, and do likewise.