Scripture Reflection, July 11: From Head to Heart

Scripture Readings:
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Psalm 69:14+17, 30-31, 33-34, 36a+37 or Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37 

When Robin and I talked about the scripture reflection for this Sunday, he told me about a plaque that he possesses – a reproduction of an icon with a classic representation of the gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. In the icon there is a man helping a wounded, bandaged victim onto a donkey. He is carefully lifting him up onto the animal. The man who is lifting the bandaged victim onto the donkey has a halo around his head, and you quickly recognize that this man is Jesus. In this classic icon from Christian tradition, it is apparent that the Good Samaritan is Christ himself.

This artistic representation is based on an ancient tradition that reaches back to the early church. During the first few centuries of Christianity, the Good Samaritan was often represented with the face of the crucified and risen Lord; the Jesus who is risen with his own wounds, with the marks of his own crucifixion. For theologians of the early Church it was Jesus himself who was the first and the preeminent Good Samaritan. The man robbed, beaten and left half-dead represented the human family. We are a wounded humanity, scarred by sin, by divisions, by the pain we inflict on one another. The Samaritan, the one who stops and draws near, is Christ, the Son of God who became incarnate in order to become our neighbor.

Jesus as the Good Samaritan? For me, this image opened a whole new perspective on this gospel parable that we have heard so often. With this parable Jesus replies to a question from a devout young scholar of the law who asks him: “And who is my neighbor?” As a Jewish scholar, he knew the law that taught him to “treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself.” And he knew that according to the Book of Leviticus, loving your neighbor is a sacred responsibility of the faithful Jewish person. But the theological problem for him was: “Who is my neighbor?” I’m sure Jesus wouldn’t have had a problem giving him a theological answer. He was a practicing Jew himself and very familiar with the Scriptures. But Jesus answers with an example. And he even does more than that: He gives witness to his answer with his very own life!

Like the Jewish scholar, we too know very well what our faith requires. We have learned the Ten Commandments. We know that we are supposed to love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. We’ve memorized the “Golden Rule” – “Do unto other as you would have them do to you.” But aren’t we full of questions and excuses, too? So often we see the sufferings in the world around us, in our families, our neighborhoods, our country, in the world… Don’t we have excuses similar to those of the priest and the Levite? Their concern for religious piety and personal safety got in their way of living out what they knew was their responsibility: to help their wounded neighbor and take care of this victim of injustice and violence. What is it that gets in our way when we encounter people who need our help? A busy schedule? Our own security? A sense of helplessness?

Jesus doesn’t explain theologically what we are supposed to do. He shows it with his own life. And I can almost hear his encouraging words that may sound like Moses’ sermon in the book of Deuteronomy: “For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. … No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” Giving his own life for a wounded humanity, Jesus shows us first of all that charity has to start in our hearts. If we try to understand it solely in our heads, we will find thousands of questions and excuses. Jesus didn’t only preach his commandments, he lived them out. He was a witness, not only a teacher. Even today he wants to be present in our lives as the Good Samaritan who cares for us in a practical and concrete way. He doesn’t ask questions about our background and our past. He is there to support us in our needs. He generously heals our wounds and scars. If we acknowledge the presence of this divine and human love in our lives, maybe we will be able to embrace the words spoken to the fine young scholar: “Go and do likewise.” We can learn from Jesus how to move charity from our heads to our hearts; how to be inclusive and reach out to everyone; how to treat people with warmth and true compassion; how to love spontaneously and practically.

St. Vincent de Paul, the great saint of charity, said in a beautiful passage: “To see a suffering person and not to suffer with her; to see someone crying and not to cry with him… It is an act of charity to penetrate each other’s hearts and feel what the other is feeling. It is so different from the actions of other humans who don’t feel any affection when they see the anguish of the oppressed and the suffering of the poor. The Son of God had a tender heart. … He cried with them, so much tenderness and compassion is in his soul.”

As we gather for the Eucharist this Sunday, let us open our hearts to the tender love of Christ, the Good Samaritan in our lives. And let’s ask him to free us from all the obstacles that hinder us from bringing his love to others and doing likewise.

Birgit Oberhofer

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