8 October 2018
Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Mercy is so easy to see, yet so hard to put into practice. The story of the good Samaritan, which we here in today’s gospel, masterfully exemplifies this reality. In Jesus’ parable, the man who falls victim to robbers is left unaided by both a priest and a Levite. It is not until a Samaritan passes by that the victim receives the help he needs. In fact, the Samaritan goes above and beyond to ensure the victim is well taken care of. It is no surprise then, that when Jesus asks the scholar of the law, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” the scholar does not identify the Samaritan as such, but rather as “the one who treated him with mercy.”
Identifying mercy, as did the scholar of the law, is simple. Withholding mercy, as did the Levite and the priest, even more so. Putting mercy into practice, on the other hand, as did the Samaritan, is challenging. But this mercy is precisely what Christ came to show us and what he calls us to show others each and every day.