2022.10.03 Messages from Sr.MarJo

(Luke 10:29-37)

²⁹ “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Jesus replied,
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.

³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 

³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”

³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

 

This story is entitled The GOOD SAMARITAN.
Last week I spoke about LOVE – which for Jesus is the most important of all. And I gave you what the meaning of LOVE is for Jesus. And I said that it is not just the “feel good” thing that does not last, but that LOVE endures…through good times and bad times.
Last week, when Jesus spoke about LOVE, he spoke of LOVE OF GOD and LOVE OF NEIGHBOR. Today Jesus clarifies what he means by “neighbor” – or who is the neighbor whom we are called to love.
And what does it mean to be a “good” neighbor?
And so we have a story.
A man was walking and was attacked by bad people – who left him half dead.
Several people passed by – but almost no one stopped to help him. Except for this man, who has come to be known as The Good Samaritan. What did he do? He noticed this man, he did not know him – but he stopped and was willing to help. This man was later identified as a “good” man. So what was so good about him? Unlike the others that saw the man in need but did not bother to stop nor help, this man stopped and took the trouble, went out of his way, was willing to be disturbed – to help and take care of the man in need. And the “help” he offered was generous – meaning, he helped all the way.
What does it mean to be a neighbor? In this story, Jesus defines neighbor as someone who “showed mercy” or someone who cared and showed compassion; who LOVED.

 

In our school, we want to grow in the way we care for one another; to be attentive to each other and see how we can help each other become better persons. And we do this in little and concrete ways – by being kind, respectful, honest and always choosing thoughts, words and actions that will be good and not harmful for others.

Today, with the easy access to SMS and Social Media – I invite you to take care to choose words and messages that bring out the best and the good in yourself and in others. Take the trouble to choose carefully – because it is not easy to take back what you have said or posted. It is better to be careful than to regret.
And going back to the story of Jesus – take time to take care and help those in need. Let Assumption Kokusai be known for being the place where people care for one another; where words spoken are always respectful, kind and true.