Samaritan in hospitality

Today is the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the gospel reading is about the Samaritan inhospitality. I'm sure that by now most Catholics know that the Jews and the Samaritans just cannot see eye-to-eye with one another.  You can also say that this is about Jewish inhospitality to the Samaritans.

This started a long time ago when the southern Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonian captivity in 600 B.C. But a few thousands were allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. The people in the Northern Kingdom were called Samaritans a race that is marred with mixed marriages and therefore considered "impure."Since then the Jews never had any dealings with Samaritans and keep away from these people.

Perhaps this is the reason why our Lord Jesus Christ had so many important stories about Jews and Samaritans. So today's gospel reading comes from Luke 9: 51-62.

"51 When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, 52 and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, 53 but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?"

55 Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56 and they journeyed to another village. 57 As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go. 58 Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head."

59 And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." 60 But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But, you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." 62 (To him) Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks at what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

*  *  *

The disciples of Lord Jesus Christ must have seen His awesome power that could only come from God. So on their way to Jerusalem, the Lord sent messengers to a Samaritan village to ask permission if He could stay in their village, but when the Samaritans learned that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, they would not welcome Him in their midst. Angry at their being un-welcomed, His inner disciples James and John asked the Lord, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" These two must have known the awesome power of God.

But instead, the Lord rebuked them and the Lord quietly left for another village. For sure the Lord Jesus Christ knew that the Samaritans would reject Him. And eventually He too knew that His own kin, the Jews would also reject Him, which is why the Catholic Church is filled to the brim with gentiles. But the Lord never forces anyone to accept His teachings. If people shun away from Him, He leaves quietly and moves on.

But it is not so with his disciples whose reaction to their rejection was human revenge. Just imagine calling for fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy the Samaritan village just like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and killing all the people living in those villages. This is why the Lord rebuked them and went on his way to Jerusalem.

In the last paragraph of today's gospel reading, we read "And to another he said, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father."  But he answered him, "Let the dead bury their dead. But, you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And another said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home." (To him) Jesus said, "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks at what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

What we are reading here is one of the conditions for discipleship that if one wants to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, it means total commitment on the part of the follower. Earlier the Lord told his disciples, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." This means living a life and leaving the comforts of home.

Indeed the life of a priest isn't an easy one. More often than not… priests are assigned to faraway far-flung places and in those places they have to take care of their flock, which is much further away into the mountainous areas, which are hard to reach because of lack of roads. This is why at the end of today's gospel reading, the Lord Jesus Christ said,  "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks at what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." While we all want to follow the footsteps of our Lord, the task is a difficult one, as it needs commitment and perseverance.

*  *  *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.