Day 5 - March 12

 

2021 Virtual Lenten Retreat

WHO’S YOUR NEIGHBOR

Day 5 – March 12

 Today’s Reading

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. (cf. Luke 10:25-37)

 The Pope’s Reflection

   The parable begins with the robbers…. [W]e know them well. We have seen, descending on our world, the dark shadows of neglect and violence in the service of petty interests of power, gain and division. The real question is this: will we abandon the injured man and run to take refuge from the violence, or will we pursue the thieves?...

   The parable then asks us to take a closer look at the passers-by. The nervous indifference that makes them pass to the other side of the road…makes the priest and the Levite a sad reflection of the growing gulf between ourselves and the world around us. There are many ways to pass by at a safe distance: we can retreat inwards, ignore others, or be indifferent to their plight.  This is how some justify their indifference: the poor, whose pleas for help might touch their hearts, simply do not exist….

   One detail about the passers-by does stand out: they were religious…. This detail should not be overlooked. It shows that belief in God and the worship of God are not enough to ensure that we are actually living in a way pleasing to God. A believer may be untrue to everything that his faith demands of him, and yet think he is close to God and better than others. The guarantee of an authentic openness to God, on the other hand, is a way of practicing the faith that helps open our hearts to our brothers and sisters…. 

   “Robbers” usually find secret allies in those who “pass by and look the other way”. There is a certain interplay between those who manipulate and cheat society, and those who, while claiming to be detached and impartial critics, live off that system and its benefits. There is a sad hypocrisy when the impunity of crime, the use of institutions for personal or corporate gain, and other evils apparently impossible to eradicate, are accompanied by a relentless criticism of everything, a constant sowing of suspicion that results in distrust and confusion…. Plunging people into despair…is the agenda of the invisible dictatorship of hidden interests that have gained mastery over both resources and the possibility of thinking and expressing opinions. (cf. #72, 73, 74, 75)

 For Reflection or Discussion

The pope’s main point here is that we are all complicit in the plight of those who suffer—whether we inflict pain directly, ignore them, or benefit from the system that harms them.

-- Do you ever think to yourself, “Sure, some of us are better off than others, but things are pretty good for everyone”?

-- In other words, are you tempted to dismiss the fact that some individuals and some groups are really in need?

-- What’s your excuse for living comfortably in a system which rewards some and punishes others?

> What can you do about this?

 Closing Prayer

Let us stand before the cross of Jesus: the silent throne of God. Let us daily contemplate his wounds. In them, we recognize our emptiness, our shortcomings, the wounds of our sin and all the hurt we have experienced. Yet there too, we see clearly that God points his finger at no one, but rather opens his arms to embrace us.

In life’s most painful wounds, God awaits us with his infinite mercy. Because there, where we are most vulnerable, where we feel the most shame, he came to meet us. And having come to meet us, he now invites us to return to him, to rediscover the joy of being loved.