Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 10, 2022
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Reflection
As an experienced migration and refugee policy teacher, I have long appreciated this parable’s clear call to social action. With more than 95 million people forcibly displaced from homes worldwide, I have been continually perplexed by individuals, communities, companies, and countries who ignore this human tragedy, whether far away or in their backyard.
Writing in the post-World War II era, political theorist Hannah Arendt bemoaned that most evil in the world is done by those who never make up their mind to be either good or evil, for failing to respond is an evil of its own.
Choosing compassion sounds good but is, of course, much harder to execute. At some point, we assume every role featured in today’s parable—the one injured, the one who passes by, or the one who stops to care.
There is a classic behavioral psychology experiment in which seminarians are asked to prepare a sermon on the Good Samaritan on short notice. As they rush to deliver their sermons, they pass an injured person. Most do not stop or even slow down.
Did they see the suffering and choose to ignore it? Did they see it but understand the higher purpose of their work? Were they too caught up in themselves to see at all? How often do we rush past others in need? How often do we avert our gaze so their dignity doesn’t implore us to act?
My work with refugees internationally and newcomers locally has taught me that social action and responding to the stranger are first and foremost about relationships that push us to give and receive in ways that may be uncomfortable.
Relationships are a source of wonder, grace, and joy. They offer transcendent possibilities but also create obligations, responsibilities, and ongoing encumbrances.
The Good Samaritan didn’t just send for help. He took direct, intimate action. He dressed and treated the stranger’s wounds and made arrangements for his ongoing care. He created a connection, a relationship that was not merely transactional or fleeting. It was inconvenient, disruptive, time-consuming, and messy.
But those are the kinds of relationships Jesus is inviting us to undertake.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you showed your overwhelming mercy in the parable of the good Samaritan. May we also be granted this same generosity of spirit so that we can extend your grace to our brothers and sisters in need. We ask this in your most holy name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Amelia, or Amalberga, was a noblewoman who lived in Belgium in the eighth century. She and her brother were raised in a devout household and she wanted to give her life to God as a religious sister.
In her legend, her beauty is said to have caught the eye of the young man who would become King Charlemagne. He became obsessed with Amelia and asked for her hand in marriage. She had dedicated her virginity to God, and refused. He persisted, and one day, as she was praying at a church, he tried to pull her away and ended up breaking her arm.
In some stories, her arm healed almost instantly, and Charlemagne withdrew his request. In other stories, he withdrew his request, but became ill; Amelia forgave him and prayed for his healing and he recovered.
She died at the age of 31 and there are many miraculous stories attributed to her. In one account, she crossed a lake by riding on the back of a giant sturgeon fish. She is patron saint of those suffering from bruises and arm pain.
The relics of St. Amelia rest in the reliquary chapel, and she is shown in this stained glass window in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Amelia, you are patron saint of people with broken arms—pray for us!