Be Like The Good Samaritan

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

July 13, 2025

in Spritual Growth

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July 13, 2025:
Readings: Deuteronomy 30: 9-14
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
5th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2025 Homily – Abp. Hines

Each lesson that we receive from Scriptures is meant to guide us in this world where many people think they know everything. Jesus had said that He came to give us life in abundance. And yet we have struggles and battles because we have eallowed the enemy to take control. God from the very beginning has blessed us with everything pertaining to life and godliness. All the provisions were there. Even the animals were man’s friends. But the enemy came to deceive man and to take away the image that God had intended for man to have. Because of sin that had entered the world due to the disobedience of man, Christ had to come so that the image may be restored. It was unfortunate that the Jews did not believe in Him.

When we do things our own way, we would get into trouble. In today’s gospel, we see a lawyer come to Jesus to question Him. He asks Jesus, “what do I need to gain eternal life?” Now Christ read the mind of the lawyer and He could see through his scheme, so He asked the lawyer, “what do you think the Law says?” And the lawyer said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus answered, “then do it. And you will have eternal life.” This statement is powerful because He emphasized the words, “do it.” It is not enough that we should know about God’s ways, we should live it out. A rich young man also came to Him to ask the same question on what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus answered in Matthew 19:21-22 “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Christ is speaking to us in these stories to help us realize that the value is in the doing. In acting on what He said in His Word. Colossians 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.

Do we speak the words of the kingdom or do we speak other words. The lawyer, after hearing Christ’s response, asked him, “So who then is my neighbor?” Christ, being wiser, tells him the story of the Good Samaritan, of how a traveler was robbed and beaten and left for dead on the road. When a priest passed by, he just looked the other way and did nothing. When a levite came, he also turned the other way and did nothing. But when a Samaritan came, who was considered an enemy of the Jews, he stops and ministers to the man, took him on his horse and went to an inn to have him treated and bandaged. He was given a bed to rest at the inn and was fed. He leaves money to the innkeeper and tells him to take care of the man. Here was a Samaritan who reached out to a Jew. After relating the story, he asked the lawyer, “so now who do you think was the one who was more of a neighbor among the three?” Isn’t this in a way like Jesus telling us His own story? Satan has wounded man and caused transgression. But God’s mercy and grace is shown in the good Samaritan, who came to save the wounded.

We have been restored by Christ. We should not be holding on to our failures and doubts. and even sicknesses. We should be holding on to the new life He gave us. We should be like the wounded man, who submitted to the Samaritan, who did not reject His help and compassion. Spiritually, when Christ ascended into heaven, He took us along with Him and seated us in the heavenly places, far above all principalities and powers. It is only Christ who can judge us. He forgives us. We have trained our minds to doubt that and we miss the restoration. But thank God who loves His creation and who will never give up on us.