Some of us would still remember our catechism classes or in some cases even at RCIA sessions, where we are reminded of what we can or cannot do as Christians. For example, some of us recall being told that we cannot eat meat on Fridays; or that if we have committed a serious sin we should go for confession first before going for communion; or that we must go to church every Sunday or every day if possible; so many do’s and don’ts which could go on and on. It seems as if being Christian means observing so many laws and restrictions, making life appearing to be stifling or suffocating for some. But is Christian living merely about keeping laws? Well, yes and no, since Christian living actually demands that we keep one Law, which is Love, of which must be the basis of all other laws.
Today’s Gospel tells us of three different persons who came across a man who had been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead. The first two persons, the priest and the Levite, who walked pass the person in distress, were not being ‘bad’ people, so to speak, but they were actually merely trying to be good Jews, since to them, keeping the Law was more important. This is because, to the Jews, to touch someone who was covered in blood would be to touch someone considered ‘unclean.’ The Samaritan, on the other hand, is an outsider, a non-Jew. Yet, it is this Samaritan who reaches out to help the man in need. He goes out of his way to make sure that the man’s well-being is taken care of till the man makes a full recovery.
The Samaritan’s generosity is an example of the kind love which Jesus speaks about in the Gospel, since as the first reading reminds us, “it is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.” Love is not merely something we observe or do out of obligation, but must be freely given and freely received. Jesus is the perfect example of this love, by becoming man and dying on the cross for us, so that we may live. In His life and in His death, He was faithful to the greatest law, the greatest commandment, that is the law of love.
Today, let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan, and the example of Jesus, and not merely and blindly follow God’s laws like the priest and the Levite. Instead, let us never forget to follow the greatest law of all, that is the law of Love.