Monday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Saint Faustina Kowalska
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that our quality of mercy is often measured precisely when we are busy. The priest and the Levite were probably not wandering without purpose; they were going somewhere, perhaps with legitimate duties and responsibilities. Yet the wounded man appeared unexpectedly in the middle of their journey. The Samaritan also had somewhere to go, but he allowed another person’s suffering to interrupt his plans. He stopped, approached, treated the wounds, placed the man on his own animal, brought him to an inn and even arranged for his continuing care. Mercy cost him time, attention, resources and inconvenience. This is important because it is relatively easy to be merciful when compassion fits comfortably into our schedule; the deeper test comes when someone needs us at the wrong moment. The message of Christ does not ask us to abandon our responsibilities, but it does ask whether our responsibilities have become so absolute that we can no longer notice the person lying beside our road. Saint Faustina understood that Divine Mercy is not merely something we contemplate or receive; the mercy flowing from the Heart of Jesus must pass through us to others in concrete ways. Sometimes the most authentic prayer of a busy day may therefore be the decision to stop: to listen, to notice, to forgive, to telephone, to help, or simply to remain with someone who needs us. Mercy begins when another person becomes more important, even for a moment, than the schedule we had planned. Let’s reflect: When someone’s need interrupts my plans and responsibilities, do I see only an inconvenience, or can I recognize an unexpected invitation from Christ to become a neighbour through mercy?
Don Giorgio