Homily 15th Sunday OT July 10 2022

Reading 1: Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Psalm 69 Reading 2: Colossians1:15-20

Gospel of Luke 10:25-37

The central theme of the readings for this 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time is help us understand who God is, who Jesus is and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The first reading from Deuteronomy is about various characteristics of God. The second reading from Colossians is about the life of Jesus and what he represented as the Son of God. The Gospel of Luke reading is all about how we have choices to live our lives with God’s love in our hearts.

God’s commandments keep our relationship with God and with other people on the right track. Without heeding God’s commands, we live chaotic lives and never in harmony with one another. So God’s commandments keep our relationship with God and with other people on the right track.

Without heeding God’s commands, we live chaotic lives and never in harmony with one another. This reading reminds us that God’s law is not simply what is written in books or stone tablets, but rather written in our hearts !

Psalm 69 reminds us to trust in our Lord to help us when we face the many different types of painful moments in our daily life.  

Our second reading from Colossians focusses our attention on understanding and appreciating who Jesus is in his earthly life.     

Jesus the image of the invisible God;

Jesus is the firstborn of the created world;

Everything in the word was created for and held together by Jesus;

Jesus brings peace to all on earth and in heaven by his death on the cross.

So we now see how all other beings find their existence and meaning in and through Christ. This gives us a deeper appreciation of what it means for Jesus to be the Son of God.

The Gospel of Luke verses clearly points out the key elements of our faith journey as loving God in our mind, our heart and our lives! As in all great teachers, Jesus then gives us three different ways we can relate to our neighbor. Only the last example of the Samaritan gives us the model of compassion and love in meeting a suffering neighbor.  

The three examples symbolize the three types of persons: 1) the priest; 2) the layman of Jewish faith; and 3) a Samaritan who is a gentile. For the priest and the Levite, Jewish lay person, to touch such an injured person would contaminate them! Once they touch such a person, they themselves must go through many rituals to cleanse themselves! So they avoid this injured person! For the Samaritan though, who does not have these religious ideas, he is moved by a compassionate heart to reach out to the injured person!    

As we bring these thoughts together, we can see that the first reading talks about keeping the commandments of God. The psalm encourages us to maintain connection with God through prayer and praise. The second reading talks about the primacy of Christ. He is the reason for our being, and we have to take him and his commandments seriously. Finally, the gospel reading talks of the commandment of love of God and neighbor.  

So, we hear about God, about Jesus, about us showing our love of God and our neighbor.  

This lectionary clearly points out how cumbersome it is to understand rules and to follow them. We want to follow our own rules! We want to simplify them or do our own thing. In the process, we do not deliver what is expected of us!  

So the Samaritan teaches us that love is to use your imagination, your feelings, your strength, your time and resources. You become a little poorer when you love. Love is a commandment. It is God’s imperative. It is life-giving, health restoring. It is a skin to skin contact with the bloody victim !  

What happens if we do not follow any precept or if we don’t love? We cannot form a community, a family. We do not live according to our dignity as covenanted people. God does not demand exact obedience to the commandments for its own sake. But rather, it is about keeping the commandments for our own good.

Now, if we love, it must be total. God demands complete and high quality love from us. “Love God with all your soul and heart.” We must not withhold anything from God. We must love with our whole being, with all our energies, attention, devotion and wisdom. We must not ignore the needs of our neighbors who are victims of social injustices and flawed economic and political system. We must not invoke our other demands of our work, our family, our safety, or our convenience as an excuse for not doing anything for them.

So, we cannot transmit our faith if we are not loving to others. Let’s take a few minutes to reflect and meditate on:

how the Eucharist is for those who are committed to love God and neighbor; 

How the Eucharist is a sacrament of love, communion and compassion;

How Jesus is here to bind up our wounds if we have been victimized;

And how Jesus is here to teach us to become like the Good Samaritans!

Brothers and sisters of our Chinese Catholic Community, that is the Good News for this 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time!

Alleluia Alleluia

Fr. Fong

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)

2022 年7 月10 日常年期第15 主日講道
讀經一:申命紀 30:10-14 聖詠69篇 讀經二:哥羅森書 1:15-20
路加福音 10:25-37

常年期第 15 主日的讀經的中心主題是幫助我們了解天主是誰,耶穌是誰,以及成為耶穌基督的門徒意味著什麼。申命紀的讀經一是關於天主的各種特徵。哥羅森書的讀經二是關於耶穌的生平和他所代表的天主的兒子。路加福音的讀經就是關於我們如何選擇在我們心中以天主的愛過我們的生活。

天主的誡命使我們與天主以及與他人的關係保持在正確的軌道上。如果不聽從天主的命令,我們就會過著混亂的生活,彼此之間永遠無法和諧相處。因此,天主的誡命使我們與天主以及與他人的關係保持在正確的軌道上。

如果不聽從天主的命令,我們就會過著混亂的生活,彼此之間永遠無法和諧相處。這段讀經提醒我們,天主的法律不是簡單地寫在書本或石版上,而是寫在我們心裡!

聖詠第69 篇提醒我們,當我們面對日常生活中許多不同類型的痛苦時刻時,要相信我們的主會幫助我們。

我們從哥羅森書讀到的第二篇讀經將我們的注意力集中在理解和欣賞耶穌在他的塵世生活中是誰。

耶穌是看不見的天主的形象;

耶穌是受造世界的長子;

聖言中的一切都是為耶穌創造並由耶穌維繫在一起的。

耶穌通過他在十字架上的死為地上和天堂裡的所有人帶來了和平。

所以我們現在看到所有其他生物如何在基督裡並通過基督找到他們的存在和意義。這讓我們更深刻地理解耶穌成為天主的兒子意味著什麼。

路加福音的經文清楚地指出了我們信仰旅程的關鍵要素,即在我們的思想、心靈和生活中愛天主! 就像所有偉大的老師一樣,耶穌給了我們三種不同的方式來與我們的近人建立聯繫。只有撒瑪黎雅人的最後一個例子給了我們在遇到一個受苦的近人時同情和愛的模式。

這三個例子像徵著三種人:1)司祭; 2)猶太信仰的平信徒; 3) 外邦人的撒瑪黎雅人。對於司祭和肋未人,猶太平信徒來說,觸摸這樣一個受傷的人會污染他們! 一旦接觸到這樣的人,他們自己必須通過許多儀式來淨化自己! 所以他們避開了這個受傷的人! 然而對於沒有這些宗教觀念的撒瑪黎雅人來說,他被一顆富有同情心的心所感動,向受傷的人伸出援手!

當我們把這些想法放在一起時,我們可以看到讀經一談到遵守天主的誡命。聖詠鼓勵我們通過祈禱和讚美與天主保持聯繫。讀經二談到基督的首要地位。他是我們存在的理由,我們必須認真對待他和他的誡命。最後,福音讀經談到了愛天主和愛近人的誡命。

所以,我們聽到了關於天主、關於耶穌、關於我們展示我們對天主和我們近人的愛的故事。

這篇經文清楚地指出了理解規則和遵守規則是多麼麻煩。我們想遵守自己的規則! 我們想簡化它們或做我們自己的事情。在此過程中,我們沒有提供(它)對我們的期望!

所以撒瑪黎雅人教導我們,愛就是運用你的想像力、你的感覺、你的力量、你的時間和資源。當你愛的時候,你會變得稍微更窮。愛是誡命。這是天主的命令。它是賦予生命, 恢復健康。這是與血腥受害者的肌膚接觸!

如果我們不遵守任何戒律或不愛,會發生什麼? 我們不能形成一個團體,一個家庭。我們沒有按照我們作為立約之人的尊嚴生活。天主不會要求為了嚴格聽命於遵守誡命的緣故而嚴守誡命。相反, 那是為了我們自己的利益而遵守誡命。

現在,如果我們愛,它必須是完整的。天主要求我們完全和高質量的愛。 “全心全意地愛天主。”我們不能對天主隱瞞任何事情。我們必須全心全意地去愛,用我們所有的精力、注意力、奉獻精神和智慧去愛。我們絕不能忽視我們近人的需求,他們是社會不公和有缺陷的經濟和政治制度的受害者。我們不能以我們對工作、家庭、安全或便利的其他要求為
藉口, 不為他們做任何事情。

因此, 如果我們不愛他人,我們就無法傳遞我們的信仰。讓我們花幾分鐘時間來反思和默想:
1) 聖體聖事對那些致力於愛天主和愛近人是怎樣的;
2) 聖體聖事如何成為愛、共融和慈悲的聖事;
3) 如果我們受害, 耶穌如何在這裡包紮我們的傷口;
4) 耶穌在這裡如何教導我們變得像慈善的撒瑪黎雅人!

我們華人天主教會的弟兄姊妹們,這就是常年期第十五個主日的好消息!

阿肋路亞 ,阿肋路亞