Homily – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

👋🏽 Introduction – What Must I Do?

A clever question, a compelling parable, and a call to compassion—this is what we hear today.

A lawyer asks Jesus:

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus answers with a question of His own. Then He tells the most famous parable in Scripture: The Good Samaritan.

It’s not just a lesson about kindness.
It’s a challenge to live mercy as a way of life, because God’s Word is not far away—it is near, on our lips and in our hearts.

📜 1. First Reading – Deuteronomy 30:10–14: The Word Is Very Near

Moses tells the people of Israel:

“This command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious or remote... it is very near to you.”

In other words:
We already know what to do. We just have to do it.
The law of love is not meant to be distant or academic—it is practical, visible, and do-able.

God’s Word is written not just in books, but in our hearts and hands.

🧎🏽‍♂️ 2. Gospel – Luke 10:25–37: Who Is My Neighbour?

The lawyer wants to justify himself.
He’s not really asking how to love—he’s asking how little he can love and still go to heaven.

But Jesus flips the question.
He tells a parable where:

• A man is robbed and left for dead.

• A priest and a Levite pass by.

• But a Samaritan—an outsider, an enemy—stops and helps.

He doesn’t just feel pity—he acts:

bandages wounds, gives oil and wine, places the man on his animal, and pays for his care.

Jesus ends with a command:

“Go and do likewise.”

✝️ 3. Second Reading – Colossians 1:15–20: Christ the Image of the Invisible God

Saint Paul reminds us that Jesus is the perfect image of the invisible God.
He holds all things together.
And through His blood on the Cross, He reconciles all things to Himself.

So when we live like the Good Samaritan—when we bind wounds, show mercy, and go out of our way to help—we reveal Christ to the world.

🔗 Bringing It All Together

This Sunday’s message is clear:

• Love is not optional.

• Compassion is not just for the holy few.

• God is not far off—He is near in every act of mercy.

To inherit eternal life, we don’t need to be experts.
We need to be available, interruptible, and generous with our time, resources, and hearts.

💬 Quote for Reflection

“We are not called to walk past the wounded, but to stop, kneel, and care.”
– Inspired by Pope Francis

✅ Life Application

• Who are the “wounded” lying beside my path this week?

• Am I like the priest or Levite—too busy, too clean, too distant?

• What does ‘Go and do likewise’ look like in my daily life?

🧎🏽‍♂️ Conclusion – Mercy Is the Measure

Christianity is not proven by how many prayers we say—but by how much love we live.
The Good Samaritan reflects God’s compassion.
So must we.

Let us not ask, “Who is my neighbour?”
Let us ask, “To whom can I be a neighbour today?”

🙏 Prayer for the New Day

“Lord, Let Me Be a Neighbour Today”

Lord Jesus,
Today, I ask not for ease or distance—
but for the courage to draw near.

Open my eyes to the wounded on my path.
Open my heart to respond with love, not judgment.
Open my hands to give what I can,
even when it’s inconvenient.

Teach me to be a true neighbour—
to see need, to stop, and to serve.
Let me not justify walking away—
but discover You waiting in the face of the broken.

May I never forget:
Your Word is near me—on my lips, and in my heart—
when I love with action, not just words.

In Your name, I rise today to go and do likewise.

Amen.