Stepping into a Story

Learning how to be human and compassionate

07/10/2022

Lk 10:25-37 There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

It has been many years since I went to Disney World. If I were ever to go again, I would love to go to Universal Studios and take one of those “movie rides”. Have you ever been on one of those rollercoaster movie rides? Let me share some lines from my favorite actors and see if you can guess which movie the line is from. This homily is going to be like one of those movie rides.

Here’s Humphrey Bogart, who pounds his fist on a table and says: “Of all the gin-joints in all the towns in all the world, and she had to walk into mine!” That classic line was from the movie “Casablanca”. Here’s Tim Robbins speaking sadly with Morgan Freeman, saying: “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.” Of course, everyone knows that famous line from “Shawshack Redemption”.

Okay, here’s the best for last. Russell Crowe, who throws down his sword and jeers at the crowd, shouting: “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here!?” I have always wanted to ask that after a homily at Mass: “Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here!?” That immortal line is from the movie “Gladiator”.

Sorry, I have to add one more by Arnold Schwarzenegger, battling an alien and yells: “Here I am! Do it! Kill me! Kill me! Here I am! Do it now!” Then he adds: “Get to the chopper!” That’s from everyone’s favorite movie “Predator”. So, that would be a great vacation for me: to enter into the story line of a great movie and repeat the lines, and pretend I am the hero.

In the gospel today, Jesus invites a scholar of the law to step into a story too, and see whose part he would take. Jesus tells the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan, who was the lead character who stopped to help the man beaten half-dead. Of course, a priest and Levite both pass by on the other side of the road, ignoring the poor man. Jesus asks, in effect, who is the hero of the story? The legal scholar answers, “The one who treated him with mercy.” And then Jesus adds: “Go and do likewise.”

In other words, just like I can quote Tim Robbins and Humphrey Bogart and even Arnold Schwarzenegger, and imagine I can do what they do in the movies, so Jesus tells the man to imitate the love and compassion of the story he just heart. Why? Well, because when we become part of the story, we can sympathize with the characters. We cry at their failures, and we rejoice at their triumphs. That is the power of great story-telling: it makes us more human.

St. Augustine put a different twist on the story of the Good Samaritan. He interpreted it as an allegory, the dramatic story of human history. How so? He suggested that the man who was robbed and beaten was allegorically “Adam”. “Jerusalem” in the story is the Garden of Eden, which Adam had left. The thieves and robbers who attacked him are the devil and his fallen angels who stripped him, that is, robbed him of his immortality by persuading him to sin, which is spiritually the state of being “half-dead”.

The priest and Levite represent the Old Testament priesthood and ministry which did not actually help anyone to be saved. Jesus himself is the Good Samaritan who binds and heals the man’s wounds which are both physical and spiritual. The “oil” is the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, and the “wine” symbolized the Eucharist, the wine of Jesus’ Precious Blood. The “inn” where the man recuperates is the Church, where we pilgrims find food, shelter and rest on our way home to heaven.

The point of Augustine’s interpretation was to show how Jesus wants to step into our story. Jesus never went to Universal Studios to take one of those movie rides. But when he was born a Baby in Bethlehem, he entered our human story and changed “human history” into “salvation history”. By stepping into our story, he not only sympathizes with us, he heals us, he feeds us, and he even dies for us. When you step into someone’s story, it makes you more human, and that is what happened to Jesus: he became human to save us.

My friends, today take a minute to think about the people’s stories you have stepped into. The stories of your parents, those of your children, the great dramas of your friends’ lives. And many of you have played an important role in the story of Immaculate Conception Church. These stories would not be the same without you in it. Or, maybe like the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable, you have side-stepped some people’s stories. Sometimes we ignore people or avoid them and stay out of their stories. But when we do, it becomes hard to sympathize and understand them. They grow distant and we become detached from them. And we become less human.

But also give God thanks for the people who have been the “supporting cast” in your own story, where YOU are the hero, of course! But really, the hero of our story should be Jesus. If we can see our personal and individual stories clearly and honestly, as it truly is, we will discover we are in reality that man half-dead and in need of rescuing and recovery. We need the Church and her sacraments on our pilgrimage home to heaven.

Praised be Jesus Christ!