15TH SUNDAY HOMILY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

HOMILY THEME: WHY DIDN’T THEY STOP TO HELP HIM?
BY: Fr. Clem C. Aladi.
HOMILY: GOSPEL: LUKE 10:25-37

Never allow responsibilities to hinder you from helping others or doing the right thing.
It is the ability to show love even to your enemy that makes you good, hence the
Samaritan is good.
My dearest brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are privileged to be here to worship
and reflect on the words of Christ on this 15th Sunday. The readings especially the
gospel narrative which is a familiar one to all of us remind us that humanity is one big
neighbourhood and that we have no excuses for not being responsible in caring for
others.
~In the gospel, Jesus tells us the story of the good Samaritan at the request of a
scholar of the law in order to broaden his and our perspective on who truly is our
neighbour. In a world where many limit their help and support to members of their
own families, race or those who have some kind of affiliation with them, Jesus
teaches us in this parable that CHARITY, LOVE AND COMPASSION HAS NO
LIMITS OR BOUNDARIES. My reflection this morning centres on this question: why
 didn‟t the priest and the Levite stop to help the man beaten by the robbers? The
attitude of the duo might give us some insights on why many today fail to help others.
~ These might be their reasons:

1. That‟s a dangerous road( Jerusalem to Jericho). In the days of Jesus, it came to

be known as the „Bloody Pass.‟

1. It‟s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking, and he was
acting like he had been robbed and hurt in order to seize them over there, lure them
there for quick and easy seizure.
2. Since they were going to Jerusalem to perform ecclesiastical functions in the temple
and according to Jewish ceremonial laws, touching a dead body will make them
impure and hence unfit for the temple sacrifice, so they passed by on the other side.
3. Maybe they passed by because they wouldn‟t want to be late for the temple service.

These may sound justifying to exonerate or dismiss the negligence of the priest and
the Levite. While I do not judge or condemn them, it serves as a lesson to us all who
give excuses or justify our actions for neglecting others, this is exactly the reason
Jesus used this story to teach us today.” Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely
and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be
ashamed or slow to do the humble work.” -Mother Teresa
~In one of his reflections, Martin Luther King said that the first question that the priest
and the Levite asked was, „ If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’

“But then the Good Samaritan came by, and he reversed the question: „ If I do not
stop to help this man, what will happen to him?’” There are many who will not forgive
you for failing to provide the ladder for their climbing up to greatness, be
conscientious about this when you want to ignore people you can help. The heroism
of the good Samaritan lies in his readiness to take the risk having considered all the
possible risks. When it comes to helping others, what really matters is their welfare,
not our own safety. You can never be helpful if you keep counting the cost.

~During Jesus‟s time, the Jews and the Samaritans despised and shunned each
other but you see that something good can come from a person you dislike or hate.
The Priest and the Levite represent the devout Christians today filling up churches
every Sunday and the good Samaritan represents the groups, Churches, race or
ethnic groups we dislike. No matter how devout you think you are, simple acts of
charity that you neglect might be a hindrance on your way to sanctity. We glorify God
through our good deeds and not just in external religious observances. Finally Do not
condemn a people because even if the Samaritans were all bad, there is still a good
one among them, so racial prejudice or hatred is wrong and sinful.
~From the second reading, every human person is created in the image of God. We
were created through God and for God. God loves and keeps us in being and as His
loving Children, we must extend that love to everyone and respect the image of God
in them.
~The law of God is in our lips and inscribed in our hearts. Let‟s ask for the grace in
this mass to keep His commandments and to be true neighbours to all we meet
daily. Don’t forget that your neighbour is anyone in need of your help.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers.

HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2)

HOMILY THEME: “IMAGO DEI” (IMAGE OF GOD)
BY: Fr. Christian Eze
HOMILY: First reading – Deut. 30:10-14
Second reading – Col 1:15-20
Gospel – Lk. 10:25-37

Having his question about how to get into the kingdom of God thrown back to him by
Jesus, the lawyer answered: “You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength; and your neighbor as yourself” This was the
content of a prayer of the Jews called the Shema. The Shema was – found in Deut.
6:4. It was a prayer the Jews said two times daily, yet, they did not grasp the depth of
its meaning. Little wonder then why the lawyer went on to ask Jesus: and who is my
neighbor?
Explaining who our neighbor is, Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan. The
love of our neighbor here tells us a way by which we can love God whom we have
never seen. God is spirit and cannot be seen. But we know that He created man in
His own image. If you and I would ask Jesus like the lawyer, who is our neighbor,
sure among the answers would include the person sitting next to you at this moment,
the one you met along the road, your office colleague and so on. You show them any
concern; you are doing that to God – Hymn: whatsoever you do to the least of my
brothers……
Many times we do not realize that people need to see God in us since we are God‟s
image. John Rose once told this story. Just before Christmas, a little boy was
wandering through a shopping complex and admiring the colorful displays of the
Christmas gifts. A lady who watched him moving from one shop to another had
guessed right that the lad had no money with which to make any purchase. She took
the boy into one of the shops, and taking him round, she began explaining to him the
meaning of Christmas. “God loves us”, she said “and to save us from our sins, He
was born in a manger as a little babe.” She then bought a pair of new dress shoes,
along with some Christmas gifts and lick-ups and refreshments for the poor lad. The
little boy was thrilled. As the lady led him out of the shop, he looked at her and asked
her, “Are you God?” “Oh No,” she replied” “I am only one of His children”. “Ah! Said
the boy, “I knew that somehow you were related to him” The poor boy could not have
got the story very well if the lady had not followed up with practical love of neighbor.
The little boy saw the image of God in the lady. Whose image would those who
encounter you see in you?

HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (3)

HOMILY THEME: THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD

BY: Fr. Cyril Unachukwu CCE

HOMILY: God never created us to live beyond what is possible to our human
existence. His commandments invite us to live daily the ordinary conditions of human
existence in an extraordinary way by the power of the extraordinary graces He
bestows on us through His Spirit. The ultimate end of these commandments is to
lead us to Eternal Life by the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ in Whom is found the
personification/hypostasization of all perfections. May our daily lives and activities be
a constant positive response to God; Amen.
There is always this tendency to see the commandments of God to be very abstract
and untenable. God is not a sadist as to create and request us to keep laws and
demands or to aspire towards a certain level of perfection that are not accessible to
us. In fact, the impression and conviction of the impossibility of keeping the
commandments of God is the first and foundational tactic of the devil in seducing us
away from God. Whenever we give in to this trap of the Evil One, we stop making the
necessary effort we need to grow humanly, spiritually, morally, psychologically and
otherwise and we stop making progress in our relationship with God. On the
contrary, the commandments of God reflect the attitudes we should have in ordinary
things of life, in our relationship with God and in our relationship with one another
and in the different states of life, both social and religious, to which God has called
us. Certainly, “in this way, led by God‟s grace, we shape by many small gestures the
holiness God has willed for us, not as men and women sufficient unto ourselves but
rather as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (Gaudete et Exsultate, n. 18).
This was exactly what Moses reminded us in his discourse with the people of Israel
in the First Reading of today (Deut 30:10-14) “this law that I enjoin on you today is
not beyond your strength or beyond your reach … No, the word us very near to you,
it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.”
The commandments of God call us to be positive with, responsive to and responsible
with ordinary things of life and existence; things that we sometimes neglect and
overlook. Many of the saints, especially as seen in St. Therese of Lisieux, said and
wrote repeatedly that the very basis of sanctity lies in doing ordinary things
extraordinarily. Sometimes we are carried away by the seeming huge and big things
we want to do for God and for our brothers and sisters that we forget the much more
meaningful minute things that count the most; the simple but most rich acts of love; a
simple smile, the use of gracious words that uplift, recognising the needs of others, a
simple visit to the sick, offering a helping hand, etc. This is the very thing that
distinguished the good Samaritan in the Gospel Reading of today (Luke 10:25-37) as
against the priest and the Levite who had the same opportunity that He had. It is
often said that opportunity makes the thief. This saying could be very true in some
circumstances. But much more true is the fact that “opportunity makes the saint.” We
have many opportunities everyday to be saints, to be good and better and best, to
respond positively to God always in the ordinary things of life.
Every one of us receives as much opportunities as are necessary to gain Eternal
Life. The difference is in how best we utilize these opportunities. In the final words of
Jesus to the Lawyer that came to him, “go and do the same yourself”, our Lord sends
us out, empowered by His grace, to recognise the simple and ordinary things around
us and recognise what God wants us to do with them. All we need to reach our
ultimate goal and destination is always right before us. In Christ Jesus, we see the
perfect model of how to make use of these opportunities for “God wanted all
perfection to be found in Him and all things to be reconciled through Him and for
Him” (Col 1:15-20). All we need to do is to imitate Christ in being obedient to God
and by so doing, grow to be similar to Him. Those who are similar to Christ are
known to be blessed, fortunate, soft-spoken, innocent, upright, generous of heart,
pure in heart and virtuous. These are those who see in the commandments of God
our very means of sanctification and who keep these commandments.
Lord, free our hearts from every deceptive consideration that wants us to see your
commandments as burdens and give us the grace to recognise and respond
positively to the many opportunities you give us in the ordinary things of life to make
progress in the journey of perfection; Amen.
Happy Sunday;

HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (4)

HOMILY THEME: Love God above all

BY: The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

HOMILY: Today we are reminded that Jesus is the manifestation of God who desires
our love so much that we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul,
strength and mind. St. Francis de Sales notes:
God has planted in the human heart a special natural inclination to love good in
general. Likewise, implanted in us is a desire to love God‟s goodness that is better
and more lovable than all things. So ardent is God‟s desire for our love that we are
commanded to love God with all our strength. Thus we have no pretext to turn away
from loving God‟s infinite goodness that enlivens all souls. When commandments are
ordained by love they give goodness to those who lack it and increase goodness in
those who have it. God‟s law of love takes away our weariness, as it refreshes and
restores our hearts. There is no toil in doing what we love, or if there is any, it is
beloved toil.
Eagles have strong hearts and great power of flight, yet they have greater powers of
sight than of flight. Hence, they extend their vision much more quickly and much
farther than their wings. Likewise, our reason knows that God‟s goodness is lovable
above all things. However, our minds have far more light to see how worthy of love
God is than strength of will to love God‟s goodness. Consequently, our natural desire
to grow in divine love becomes constricted when our selfish desires and feelings stir
us up.
Thus, our human heart produces certain beginnings of love for God‟s goodness in
the most natural way. Yet, to advance as far as loving God above all things belongs
only to hearts animated and assisted by divine grace. Still, if we faithfully co-operate
with our natural inclination to love God above all things, the gentleness of God‟s
divine mercy always gives us an abundance of help so as to become divinely loving.

HOMILY FOR THE 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (5)

HOMILY THEME: WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
In today‟s Gospel we have the parable of the Good Samaritan to a Jew and a scholar
of the law. It was in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” after Jesus told
him to love his neighbor as himself. This is a classic parable because it clearly
depicts the need to care for those who are in need. It should be noted that in the end,
Jesus referred to the Samaritan who helped the robbers victim as the neighbor.
Thus, the one who help is being neighbor to the neighbor in need.
The first reading is a beautiful compliment to this parable. Through Moses, God told
Israel what they had been missing. They only need to carry out the commandments
and everything will be in order for them. In the end, God said, “It (the command) is
something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you only
have to carry it out.” The commands are easy to understand, very accessible, and
doable. Unfortunately, the Israelites, and we can say even the people of succeeding
generations up to our present time are just to hard-headed . Thus, the constant and
repetitive sins through disobedience.
The readings are telling us that the key towards being neighbor is by following the
commandments. The commandments include care and responsibility towards
neighbours. It also includes how to be a neighbor to others. We can deduce the
following points;

1. The true Christian neighbor is always ready to help.

2. The true Christian neighbor does not discriminate.
3. The true Christian neighbor does not waste time.
4. The true Christian neighbor helps fully the needy.
5. The true Christian neighbor believes and follows God‟s commandments.
The source of being neighbor is love of God.