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Today's Gospel
How To Be Like the Good Samaritan
4 min
Gospel
Lk 10:25-37
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed mercy on him.” And Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Readings are from Dynamic Catholic’s New Testament Bible: RSV Catholic Edition
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Transcript
How To Be Like the Good Samaritan
Who was this man? Almost everyone knows that this was the Good Samaritan. The Good Samaritan is legendary. He is a worldwide icon of goodness. He is recognized by believers and non-believers alike. Anytime someone goes out of his way or her way to selflessly help others, especially a stranger who is in need, we refer to that person as a Good Samaritan. Even secular media outlets use the term. There is something-- I do wonder when I hear stories like this over and over again in the Scriptures. I wonder what happened to the Good Samaritan? What was the rest of his life like? I wonder what happened to the man whose life the Good Samaritan saved? Did he go on to become an icon of goodness in his own way, in his own community? There are so many people whose lives cross paths with the gospels for just a moment. And then the story of the gospels moves on, but I wonder what happened to them? What happened to Martha and Mary? Was Lazarus glad he got raised from the dead, or would he have preferred to stay on the other side? What happened to the woman at the well, the man who helped Jesus carry his cross, Simon of Cyrene? How did encountering Jesus change these people and alter the direction of their lives?
I like to think of the Good Samaritan as the patron saint of holy moments. What the Good Samaritan did was a spectacular holy moment, but it's important to understand that his character was predisposed to that action. His soul had been prepared with hundreds of choices and decisions before that day. His heart was gently inclined toward the needs of others. The other men who didn't stop to help the stranger in distress had their reasons for not stopping. I wonder what their hearts were inclined toward. Is your heart inclined toward the needs of others, or is it leaning away from others? The world needs more Good Samaritans. The world needs more Holy Moments. The world needs you and me to collaborate with God and each other to create those Holy Moments. I hope the Good Samaritan inspires you to live and love differently today.
