Today's Gospel

Be an Icon of Goodness

A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was seized by robbers who stripped him, beat him, and went away, 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 of the road. In the same way, a scholar was traveling by the path. And when he came to the place and saw the man lying beaten by the side of the road, he looked away and quickly passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveling in the region saw the man and approached him. Seeing that he was naked and badly beaten, the Samaritan was moved with pity. He took the wounded man in his arms, treated his wounds with wine and soothed them with oil, and then bandaged them. The Samaritan put the unfortunate man on his donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he took money from his own purse, gave it to the innkeeper, and said, "Take care of him. When I return, I will repay you whatever more you spend."

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.