Just Do It: Reflections on the Readings for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalm 69 or 19
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37

Jesus and Moses give a variation on the same message: “you have only to carry it out” and “go and do likewise.” Or, in today’s simple terms, “Just do it.” The psalm selections and St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians tell us what it is we have to do: “live in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10).

In Deuteronomy, Moses is summing up the whole history of the Exodus and the preparation for the Israelites to enter the land to which God is sending them. He reminds them that God’s message is not mysterious. It is there for all to see and is echoed repeatedly by Jesus in the New Testament: “return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.” It is the constant call to conversion. As Jesus said when He began His public ministry, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

Moses is also telling them that they know this intrinsically; it is written in their hearts. They are to keep God’s commandments and statutes. They only have to do it.

Both of the possible selections for the responsorial psalm pick up on this theme. One says, “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live,” and the other reminds us that “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.” Psalm 19 spells it out very clearly, “Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.” Both note that by seeking the Lord your hearts will be glad, and you will be revived. This is as valid for us today as it was then. Several of the prophets also reiterated this message to seek the Lord. And Matthew tells us, “But seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

We have a difficult time putting God first, but this is the clear and consistent message of both the Old and New Testaments. In a way Paul’s letter to the Colossians picks up on this theme, noting that Jesus is before all things and that He “is the image of the invisible God.” In other words, Jesus and God come first, everything else is secondary. Ask yourself, do you prioritize God in your life? Do you just go to Mass because you are told you have to, or do you actually look forward to spending time with the Lord and worshipping Him?

Paul’s message is also one of unity. “... in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.” Unity is a common theme in the New Testament. Jesus spoke often of the oneness of Himself with the Father as well as the oneness of Himself with the Apostles. He also spoke of the oneness of the flock, His sheep. At Mass we pick up on this theme as well when in the Creed we profess our belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.”

The gospel selection is the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan. I’ve seen this parable referred to in many ways, including to support and oppose political programs, in many cases the same ones. There is much imagery in this parable. One interpretation identifies the injured man as fallen humanity, beaten and robbed by the secular world of the devil. The Samaritan is Jesus who, through His own sacrifice, binds and heals his wounds which the rest of humanity and religious organizations either could not or would not help.

Some of the key points we should examine are who is questioning Jesus, why, and what is the point Jesus is trying to make. The person challenging Jesus was a “scholar of the law.” Thus he knew Scripture and all of the intricacies of the Law of Moses. Next Luke notes that “he wished to justify himself.” In other words, he wanted to make himself look good based on what he was doing. He wasn’t looking for new responsibilities. Many of us today try to do the same thing when we convince ourselves that we aren’t all that sinful, and we’re better than others. Think of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) and who was justified in that instance.

The scholar repeated the Greatest Commandment and the follow-up commandment (Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18) to which Jesus said, basically, good answer, “do this and you will live.” The scholar puts forth his ego, “And who is my neighbor?”

This brings us to Jesus’ point in the story. Being a neighbor is not subjective, it encompasses everyone. He purposely puts the beneficent actor as someone outside the norm. Jews and Samaritans did not deal with each other. And yet the Samaritan goes out of his way to provide help and comfort when the priest and the Levite crossed the street to avoid the injured man. Jesus asks the scholar who, in his opinion, was the true neighbor. When the scholar answered correctly, Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

We don’t know whether the scholar took this lesson to heart, but it is one for us to contemplate as well. Fr. Walshe, in his book, Secrets from Heaven, explains this parable like this: “But Jesus emphasizes the fact that it is not knowledge of the commandments but doing the commandments that results in eternal life. Mercy is not just about words, it is even more about deeds.” The letter of St. James backs this up, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? ... faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. ... Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.” (James 2:14-18) This is also the only place in the Bible where the phrase “faith alone” appears: “See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

We are told to love our neighbor. Love is not a feeling; it is an act of the will. Loving our neighbor means looking out for their betterment. We don’t have to like them, but we do have to love them. Just like we don’t always like ourselves, especially when we failed to do something we ought, but we still love ourselves. Parents usually have this relationship with their children. They don’t like them when they do something bad, but they still love them. If someone were about to walk off a cliff, even someone you don’t really care about, shouldn’t you shout out a warning. This is why admonishing the sinner (a spiritual work of mercy) is an act of love. It goes back to the Old Testament: “Nor shall you stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake.” (Leviticus 19:16)

“But love, note well, does not insist upon equality. It is not narrow-eyed … Envy and resentment speak the language of equality, but love rejoices in the exuberant and, so to speak, immoderate blessings of God. Love always desires more and more for the beloved.” Anthony Esolen, Reclaiming Catholic Social Doctrine

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”
St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta