Leicester, 15th July 2007

 

Dear Brother and Sisters.
Let me say just three words. 

1. The first word is about way.
Why “a man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho”?
Didn’t he know that this way was very dangerous?
Couldn’t he predict the consequences of that journey?
Why he decided to choose so unsafe path?
If you were in the Holy Land you know that there is no another way to go from Jerusalem to Jericho. There is no other possibility to get Jerusalem from Jericho. If that man lived in Jericho he had to go to Jerusalem and come back because it was impossible to be a true Jew and to not visit the Jerusalem temple at least once a year.
What does it mean for us?
Don’t complain about your life!
Don’t grumble: This way is very dangerous!
Don’t gripe: My Christian’s life costs me too much.
There are ways we should take if we want to be true Christians, even at any price. 

2. The second word is about duty.
Yesterday I was passing through the subway next to De Montfort University when I met a man who was begging. I was not the first person who was asked for money. He was not the first person begging who has received quite nothing from me. Just one smile and “God bless you”.
More than from the priest from today’s gospel. Less than from the Samaritan.
We can find a lot of excuses to justify our laziness but none of these justifications can help the people who are in need.
If Jesus has chosen priest and Levite to present his parable he wanted to say to all Christians: “Be attentive!”  It’s very easy to bypass the people if anyone seems to be closer to God. 

3. The last word is about mercy.
Since the Beginning of the Church the Saint Fathers saw in the Good Samaritan the figure of Jesus Christ. He is the one who sees the misery of the humankind, the humankind beaten by the sins and foolishness. He is the one who is treated by many people as a stranger and an enemy. Even though, Jesus Christ come to you and to me, because he was been moved with compassion seeing our troubles. He bandages our wounds with the love, pours oil of the Holy Spirit and wine of the Eucharist and he carries us to the church to tell to all of the world. “Look after him” “Look after the man who is poor, beaten and wounded. Look after the man who needs your help. I will repay you on my way back when I come at the end of the ages. Look after the man because I’m looking after you”. 

Just three words: way, duty and mercy.
I suppose it is not so difficult to understand the gospel even it was written in Greek and to understand the homily even it was said by a polish priest. The problem is the same as 2000 years ago:To be a man when you see a man…