In today’s first reading Moses tells the people of Israel that God's commandments were not too mysterious and remote for them. It was not like the commandments were way up high in the sky or across the sea, where no one could go to bring them so the Israelites could learn and keep them. On the contrary, “It [the law of Moses] is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”  

I find it thought-provoking that this reading from the Book of Deuteronomy is the Old Testament reading that the Church chose to pair with today's Gospel. Today's Gospel reading describes the dialogue between the Lord and a scholar of the law of Moses.

The scholar of the law asks the Lord this question, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" The Lord, being the good teacher he is, invites the scholar of the law to give his opinion first. Just as Moses had told the Israelites that they had God's commandments in their hearts, so too the Lord invites him to find the answer in his own heart. And he does. Indeed, love of God and love of neighbor is the way to inherit eternal life.

The Lord then tells him that his answer is correct and therefore he must fulfill the commandment to receive eternal life. The word "neighbor" is composed of two parts: the first part means "near" and the second part means "inhabitant." So, a neighbor is a person who is near us. The scholar of the law knew the meaning of the word "neighbor." However, he, like many Jews of his time, found it difficult to love certain people.

And pretending that he did not fully understand the commandment, he justifies himself by asking the Lord an additional question, "And who is my neighbor?" At the beginning of the Gospel reading St. Lukes says that the initial intention of the scholar of the law was to test the Lord. Perhaps he was trying to set a trap for him, as the Pharisees often did, so that the Lord would say something controversial. The scholar of the law probably did not expect the Lord’s answer. Perhaps he expected the Lord to tell him that it was okay not to love certain people, like public sinners, Samaritans, and non-Jews.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is very clear, easy to understand and draw conclusions from. The Lord's closing question, "Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?" leads one to the answer. The scholar of the law could only answer one way: "The one who had compassion on him."

Commenting on the Lord's cunning strategy, Pope Francis once said, “In this way, Jesus completely overturned the doctor of the law's initial perspective ─ as well as our own! ─: I must not categorize others in order to decide who is my neighbor and who is not. It is up to me whether to be a neighbor or not ─ the decision is mine ─ It is up to me whether or not to be a neighbor to those whom I encounter who need help, even if they are strangers or perhaps hostile." The Lord makes it clear. A disciple of the Lord must be a neighbor to those in need.  If he is not, he does not fulfill God’s law.

The parable of the Last Judgment supplements and enhances the parable of the Good Samaritan. Compassion for those in need is the way to inherit eternal life. A lack of compassion has the opposite eternal effect. Let us humbly ask the Lord to grant us his grace to walk the path chosen by the Good Samaritan, the path of love.