The WORD in other words (2013) by Fr. Alan Meechan, SVD – Melgar, Naujan Oriental Mindoro
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
Some years ago I was explaining the idea of the family to grade school students in the mountains in Mindoro. As a trained teacher familiar with educational psychology I was well aware how difficult it was to explain this in a way that would be relevant to the children. Therefore I tried to situate the concept within the children’s own day to day relational experience.
I portrayed the family as: “si Nanay, si Tatay, si Ate, si Kuya, si Nene, si Totoy, si Bunso, ang aso, ang pusa at ang kalabaw, kung mayroon.” Of course the whole class laughed, but this way of looking at the family was more meaningful for the children than any abstract definition could have been. It was much more effective to explain how we are for each other, or how we see each other, than to give an abstract definitive description.
This is how Jesus works. Jesus has situated the concept of neighbor within our own day-to-day relational experience, as we see in particular with the parable of the Samaritan. The world Jesus came to live in, the world in which we live, is very much a Nanay, Tatay, Ate, Kuya world in that our relationships with each other are highly important in our lives. In Jesus’ teaching, particularly in his parables, he continually illustrates concrete and tangible relationships between people. As we live so shall we die. Then, our meeting with Christ will be on the same terms as our meeting with other people, our neighbors.
As Christians we live for Christ, Christ is not outside of ourselves. Through sincere prayer, scripture reading and reception of the sacraments and imitation of Christ, our lives become more Christ-like. The actions of the Samaritan, who was moved with compassion, flowed naturally from his appreciation of human dignity. What he did was normal for him. There is something highly attractive and desirable in doing good naturally. Our human dignity is enhanced as Christ lives in us.
Through Jesus, God’s relationship with us is very close: “. . . it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.”
Jesus ends his teaching: “Go and do the same.” His command is not in the abstract but one which shows us a pattern of life. Jesus came and shared in our humanity, sharing his common human experience with the people he formed and we continue this, relating with others and helping them to grow and come to know Christ, in our Nanay, Tatay, Ate, Kuya Church.
