"Lakat ka kag himoa ang subong man"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 10:25-37)

Lunes (Oktubre 7)

Dayon may isa ka manunodlo sang Kasugoan nga nagtindog sa pagdakupdakop kay Jesus paagi sa isa ka pamangkot, “Manunodlo, ano bala ang himuon ko agod maangkon ko ang kabuhi nga wala sing katapusan?” 

Si Jesus nagsabat, “Ano bala ang ginasiling sang mga Kasulatan? Ano bala ang kahulogan sini sa imo?”

Ang tawo nagsabat, “ ‘Higugmaa ang Ginoo nga imo Dios sa bug-os mo nga tagipusoon, sa bug-os mo nga kalag, sa bug-os mo nga kusog, kag sa bug-os mo nga hunahona,’ kag, ‘Higugmaa ang imo isigkatawo subong sang imo kaugalingon.’ ”

Si Jesus nagsabat, “Husto ang imo sabat. Himoa ini kag magakabuhi ka.”

Pero ang manunodlo sang Kasugoan buot magpakamatarong sang iya kaugalingon, gani ginpamangkot niya si Jesus, “Sin-o bala ang akon isigkatawo?”

Si Jesus nagsabat, “May isa ka tawo nga nagdulhog pakadto sa Jerico halin sa Jerusalem nga ginbanggaan sang mga buyong. Ginkuha nila ang iya tanan nga pagkabutang pati ang iya bayu, ginbakol sia kag ginbayaan nga daw sa patay na.

May nag-agi nga isa ka pari sa sina nga dalan. Sang pagkakita niya sang tawo, naglikaw sia sa pihak sang dalan.

Sa amo man nga dalan may nag-agi nga isa ka Levita, kag sang pagkakita niya sang tawo iya lang gintan-aw kag naglikaw sia sa pihak sang dalan.

Pero may isa ka Samariahanon nga nakaagi sa amo nga dalan. Sang pagkakita niya sang tawo naluoy gid sia. 

Ginpalapitan niya ang tawo, ginhaplasan niya sing lana kag bino ang iya sini mga pilas kag ginbugkosan. Dayon ginpasakay niya sia sa iya kaugalingon nga asno, gindala sa dalayunan kag gin-atipan niya sia.

Sang madason nga adlaw nagkuha sia sing P40 kag ginhatag niya ini sa tag-iya sang dalayunan. Nagsiling sia sa iya, ‘Tatapa sia, kag sa akon pagbalik bayaran ko ikaw sang tanan nga magasto mo sa iya.’ ” 

Dayon si Jesus nagpamangkot, “Ti, sa imo abi, sin-o bala sa sining tatlo, ang nangin-isigkatawo sining tawo nga ginbanggaan sang mga buyong?”

Nagsabat sia, “Yadtong nagkaluoy gid sa iya.” Si Jesus nagsiling, “Ti, lakat ka kag himoa ang subong man.” 

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus, may your love always be the foundation of my life. Free me from every fear and selfish-concern that I may freely give myself in loving service to others, even to the point of laying my life down for their sake."

***

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

If God is all-loving and compassionate, then why is there so much suffering and evil in this world? Many agnostics refuse to believe in God because of this seemingly imponderable problem. If God is love then evil and suffering must be eliminated in all its forms. What is God's answer to this human dilemma? Jesus' parable about a highway robbery gives us a helpful hint. Jesus told this dramatic story in response to a devout Jew who wanted to understand how to apply God's great commandment of love to his everyday life circumstances. In so many words this religious-minded Jew said: "I want to love God as best as I can and I want to love my neighbor as well. But how do I know that I am fulfilling my duty to love my neighbor as myself?" Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards their neighbor. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbor". He understood "neighbor" to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbor went far beyond his narrow definition.

Jesus told a parable to show how wide God's love and mercy is towards every fellow human being. Jesus's story of a brutal highway robbery was all too familiar to his audience. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho went through a narrow winding valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs. Many wealthy Jews from Jerusalem had winter homes in Jerico. This narrow highway was dangerous and notorious for its robbers who could easily ambush their victim and escape into the hills. No one in his right mind would think of traveling through this dangerous highway alone. It was far safer to travel with others for protection and defense.

So why did the religious leaders refuse to give any help when they saw a half-dead victim lying by the roadside? Didn't they recognize that this victim was their neighbor? And why did a Samaritan, an outsider who was despised by the Jews, treat this victim with special care at his own expense as he would care for his own family? Who was the real neighbor who showed brotherly compassion and mercy? Jesus makes the supposed villain, the despised Samaritan, the merciful one as an example for the status conscious Jews. Why didn't the priest and Levite stop to help? The priest probably didn't want to risk the possibility of ritual impurity. His piety got in the way of charity. The Levite approached close to the victim, but stopped short of actually helping him. Perhaps he feared that bandits were using a decoy to ambush him. The Levite put personal safety ahead of saving his neighbor.

What does Jesus' story tell us about true love for one's neighbor? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves through their own fault or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or emphathizing with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Jesus not only taught God's way of love, but he showed how far God was willing to go to share in our suffering and to restore us to wholeness of life and happiness. Jesus overcame sin, suffering, and death through his victory on the cross. His death brought us freedom from slavery to sin and the promise of everlasting life with God. He willingly shared in our suffering to bring us to the source of true healing and freedom from sin and oppression. True compassion not only identifies and emphathizes with the one who is in pain, but takes that pain on oneself in order to bring freedom and restoration. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. His suffering is redemptive because it brings us healing and restoration and the fulness of eternal life. God offers us true freedom from every form of oppression, sin, and suffering. And that way is through the cross of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to embrace the cross of Christ, to suffer for his sake, and to lay down your life out of love for your neighbor?