First reading: Dt. 30:10–14

Moses said to the people: “If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this book of the law, when you return to the LORD, your God, with all your heart and all your soul.

“For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you. It is not up in the sky, that you should say, ‘Who will go up in the sky to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ Nor is it across the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it for us and tell us of it, that we may carry it out?’ No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”

Second reading: Col. 1:15–20

Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.

Gospel: Lk. 10:25–37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.

“A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

“But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him.

“The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

In other words

by Fr. Dante Salces-Barril, SVD (Rome, Italy)

One day I was at table with confreres. One shared that he saw tourists fined by the bus inspector for not having bus tickets. Something that roused one of our young tablemates to indignantly declare, “This is what is wrong with Rome. There is no clear information given to tourists!” To which an elderly confrere replied: “That is what is wrong with you. You look for excuses for people’s lack of common sense. You take public transport, you pay. Simple.”

I had flashbacks of that conversation when I reflected on the readings today. It seems that making excuses is “as old as Moses.” In the First Reading (Dt. 30:10–14), we hear parts of Moses’ final injunctions to the Israelites regarding the necessity of keeping God’s commandment. And after almost 40 years of being together, it is safe to say that Moses already knows his people, the Israelites. Thus, he immediately follows the injunction with a “no-excuse clause.” He anticipates their whining and complaining. So, in no uncertain terms, he tells them that the commandment is not that complicated, or that high up, or that deep below. Therefore, they have no excuse. They must do it. 

In the Gospel, we encounter a character—a scholar of the law—who tries to complicate again what Moses simplified years ago. He asks Jesus questions whose answers he already knows—what to do to inherit eternal life? Who is my neighbor? In both instances, Jesus unambiguously charges him to “just do it.”

Loving God and our neighbor is pretty straightforward. Just like if you take public transport, you pay. If you say you require a “manual” on how to do these, you probably simply do not want to “love” or “pay” anyway. As the Filipino adage says, “Kung gusto, maraming paraan. Kung ayaw, palaging may dahilan” (If you want it, there are many ways. If you don’t, there are many reasons).