July 7th, 2013 A.D. Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time "Pray the Lord to send out laborers into his harvest"

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Much of the traditional interpretation of this wonderful story emphasizes the generosity of the Good Samaritan and views the story as a model for the generosity of all Christians. Certainly the context in Luke suggests such an interpretation. However, some recent interpreters suggest a somewhat different reading and put the emphasis on the surprise of the injured man.

 The Good Samaritan is God and the injured Jew is the sinner – all of us sinners.

 This interpretation fits the paradigm of many other parables of Jesus: A recklessly generous God overwhelming us with the surprise of his implacable love.

Fr. Greeley's Last Book:

(It is legitimate in telling his story to reverse the team affiliation of the combatants)

  Once upon a time a Cub fan and a Sox fan got in an argument during a game at the Cell. The argument was of course the fault of the sox fan. He shouted the first epithet, he knocked the Cubs cap from the other man’s head, he threw a beer can at Cub fan and hit his wife my mistake. What was the poor Cub fan to do but push the Sox fan who obviously had had too much of the drink. One thing led to another. The ushers and the cops had to separate them and since cops at the Cell  tend to be Sox fans, they ejected the Cub fan to the taunts of “Yuppy scum go home!”

 The Cub fan had to watch the ninth inning at his home. Needless to say the Cub’s bull pen imploded in the ninth as it usually does. The next day, however, virtue, truth, and Sammy Sosa triumphed and the Cubs evened the series. On the following day, as the Cub fan drove out of the parking lot, flush with a series victory, he saw his adversary at a corner on State Street with a flat tire and the hood up on the car. He pulled over, and despite his wife’s admonition, helped change the tire and provide a battery charge.

 The two men shook hands and promised to meet again when the Red Line World Series came around.

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Psalm 66:1-6,16,20

1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name." [Selah]
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; men passed through the river on foot.  There did we rejoice in him,
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

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