15th Week of Ordinary Time C – Sunday

Moses says it so clearly in the first reading from Deuteronomy: “This command is not too mysterious or remote for you… it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” That’s a comforting and also challenging word. We don’t have to climb a mountain to find God, or cross an ocean to hear His voice. We just need to pause and listen, because He is already speaking—through His Word, through our conscience, through the ordinary people around us.

Think about how often we miss this. We wait for a big sign or a perfect moment. We might think, “When I’m less busy, I’ll pray more,” or “When I feel more holy, then I’ll turn back to God.” But Moses is reminding us that God is already speaking—today, here, now. We don’t have to be perfect or have everything together. He comes to meet us, yes, right in the middle of our messy lives.

Paul, in the second reading from Colossians, takes it even deeper. He says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and that “in him all things hold together.” Everything—our joys, our struggles, even the parts of our life we’re not proud of—are held together in Christ. Sometimes when we watch the news or scroll through social media, it feels like the world is falling apart. Wildfires, inflation, violence, division. But Paul tells us that Jesus is not just passively watching from a distance. He holds it all in His Heart. He’s not a stranger to suffering. By the blood of His Cross, He has brought peace—not the absence of trouble, but the promise of His presence in the middle of it all.

Then we come to the Gospel, and this beautiful and familiar story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus is asked, “Who is my neighbour?” But really, the deeper question is, “Where is God?” The answer comes in an unexpected way: God is close—in the one lying in the ditch. He’s also in the heart of the one who stops to help. God isn’t just waiting for us in a church pew or in quiet moments of prayer. He’s present when we show mercy. He’s there when we choose compassion instead of convenience. In other words, our neighbour is everyone and anyone we encounter on our journey who becomes another gifted opportunity to encounter the living God among us.

I was reading a story recently about a man in Toronto who noticed someone sleeping in the doorway of a shop on a rainy morning. Instead of walking by, he stopped, got a coffee and a sandwich, and simply said, “You matter.” That person broke down in tears, not just because of the food, but because someone saw them—acknowledged their dignity. That’s the kind of love Jesus is talking about. The Samaritan didn’t just feel sorry for the man—he got involved. He made space in his day and in his life for someone who needed him.

And that’s the key. God comes close to us every time we choose love over indifference, mercy over judgement, presence over passivity. The Gospel doesn’t ask us to save the world all at once. It just asks us to notice the person in front of us and to act with love. That’s where God is found. That’s where life begins to change.

So today, let’s remember that God is not far. He is not a distant voice or a vague idea. He is as near as your next breath, as close as the person sitting next to you, as present as the cry of someone in need. You don’t need to cross a sea or climb a mountain. Just open your heart. Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.

And when you leave Mass today, ask God to help you notice where He’s already at work—in your family, your workplace, your neighbourhood. And then, like the Good Samaritan, and in the words of our precious Lord Jesus, “go and do likewise.”

Amen.