From the Pastor's Desk: July 14, 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                                     July 14, 2019
 
“What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
 
     Summer vacation has reached its half mark. Many of us travelled, visited friends and relatives and were able to encounter many different situations that will make some impact on our lives. Perhaps, you have encountered a person who was in need, offered a loving support or just made someone feel loved and cared for. No matter how small it could seem, it is what Jesus expects from us in our daily lives.
 
     This Sunday offers us many reminders of who we are and our response to that reality in relationship with Jesus. Today we begin a section from Colossians that focuses on the character of Christ- "the image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation." In Christ, we become that very image of God. We are called to higher standards of life, to be people who live, speak and are guided by the truth and light of Christ. We are people who know what God desires of us and that in turn makes life not easy, but rather demanding. If we needed any reminder of just how demanding following Christ can be, the parable of the Good Samaritan is a wake-up call. Historically Jews and Samaritans were in bitter opposition with each other. Yet, Jesus uses the Samaritan as the one who embodies love of neighbor and was, no doubt, insulting to His hearers. The directness of Jesus' message cannot be lost on us.  By giving the example of the Good Samaritan, Jesus seems to be telling us that compassion is the one thing necessary for oneness with Him on the way to salvation.
 
     We are to love God and our neighbor with all the strength of our being, as the scholar of the Law answers Jesus in this week’s Gospel. This command is nothing remote or mysterious—it is already written in our hearts, as we read in today’s first reading, "You have only to carry it out." Jesus tells the same thing to the young man: "Do this and you will live."
 
     The scholar, however, wants to know where he can draw the line. That is the motive behind his question: "Who is my neighbor?" In his compassion, the Samaritan in Jesus' parable reveals the boundless mercy of God- who came down to us when we were fallen in sin, close to death, and unable to pick ourselves up.
 
     Jesus is "the image of the invisible God," this week’s Epistle tells us. In Him, the love of God has come very near to us. By the "blood of His Cross"- by bearing His neighbors' sufferings in His own body, being himself stripped and beaten and left for dead- He saved us from the bonds of sin, reconciled us to God and to one another. Like the Samaritan, He pays the price for us, heals the wounds of sin, pours out on us the oil and wine of the sacraments, entrusts us to the care of His Church, until He comes back for us.
 
     Because His love has known no limits, ours cannot either. We are to love as we have been loved, to do for others what He has done for us—joining all things together in His Body, the Church.
 
     We are to love like the singer of this week’s Psalm - like those whose prayers have been answered, like those whose lives has been saved, who have known the time of His favor, have seen God in His great mercy turn toward us. This is the love that leads to eternal life, the love Jesus commands today of the scholar, and of each of us—"Go and do likewise." (Sunday Bible reflection with Scott Hahn)
 
     I very pleased to announce that St. Luke Catholic Church was selected as an official location for another unforgettable Tim Tebow Foundation event - Night to Shine! The event will be on Friday, February 7, 2020. We feel blessed, grateful, and humbled by the continued passion for serving the Lord and His people with special needs!
 
Have a blessed and relaxing week!
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy