Daily Prayer
July 11th, 2010
‘Which of these three proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the brigands’? The one who took pity on him, the lawyer replied. Jesus said, ‘you do the same yourself’.
Luke 10 : 36 - 37
The parable of the Good Samaritan which is read at Mass today is surely one of the most popular stories Jesus told. It’s a good example of the power of story telling. Our Lord could have answered the lawyer’s question, “who is my neighbour” in one sentence and that would have been the end of that discussion. Instead, Jesus has given us a vivid picture of true neighbourliness – a picture that challenges us to this day.
Like the good Samaritan, we are called first of all to stop and look at others – to pay attention to them- not pass them by like the priest and the Levite. Having noticed our neighbour we are then called to welcome them into our lives – share their joys and sorrows and where necessary render them loving service.
It’s easy for us to judge the priest and the Levite who stepped aside from the stranger beaten up by the brigands. But don’t we also make excuses for ourselves when it’s not convenient for us to be a true neighbour to a fellow traveller. Jesus himself has given us the example of true love. He was the Good Samaritan who came to rescue all of us at great cost – his own life. In this parable he is challenging all of us – not just the lawyer – to imitate him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the good Samaritan who came to earth to heal our wounded, sinful humanity. During your earthly life your heat was always ready to forgive, to heal, to comfort. May your spirit of mercy and compassion fill our hearts so that we will always reach out in love to those in any kind of need.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
How the Holy Family prayer: A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVI
“I would like to invite you to reflect on the place of prayer in the life of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The home of Nazareth, in fact, is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to ponder and to penetrate the profound meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.
Pope Paul VI during his visit to Nazareth said “we come to understand the need for a spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teaching of the Gospel and become disciples of Christ.” And he added: “First, it teaches us silence. Oh! That there would be reborn in us the esteem for silence, that wonderful and indispensable atmosphere of the spirit: while we are deafened by so many noises, sounds and clamorous voices in the frantic and tumultuous times of modern life. Oh! Silence of Nazareth, teach us to be resolute in good thoughts, intent upon the interior life, ready to listen well to the secret inspirations of God and the exhortations of the true masters.”
We can glean several insights on the Holy Family’s prayer and relationship with God from the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ childhood. We may begin with the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. St. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph, “when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, brought the child up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord”(2:22). Like every observant Jewish family, Jesus’ parents go up to the temple to consecrate the firstborn son to God and to offer sacrifice. Moved by fidelity to the law’s prescriptions, they set off from Bethlehem and go up to Jerusalem with Jesus, who is now forty days old. Instead of a one-year-old lamb, they present the offering of simple families; that is two young pigeons. The Holy Family’s pilgrimage is one of faith, of the offering of gifts, a symbol of prayer, and of encounter with the Lord, whom Mary and Joseph already see in the son Jesus.”
