In the Gospel reading this week we hear one of the most famous parables that Jesus taught – the Good Samaritan. With this familiarity we need to challenge ourselves to hear the message in a new and challenging way.
“Who is my neighbour?”
At times we are faced by things in our life where we can see someone in need – a homeless person as we walk down the street, a friend who we need to listen to or one of our family who we need to support. In the busy hustle and bustle of our lives it is sometimes simpler to ‘tactically ignore’ this or turn a blind eye.
Jesus is asked in this account “Who is my neighbour?” and challenges those listening and their prejudices about who would be the best person to help. The Samaritan, their enemy, was the one who stopped to show love and compassion not the good and the great.
“Love one another as I have loved you”
In the simplest way we are taught to be loving and compassionate and like the greatest teachers Jesus realises that He may need to recap and revisit this many times for it to sink in. So what can we do in the week ahead?
- Look to be alive to those who need us to reach out to them – at home, at school or as we go about our busy days
- Try to find time for those who need our attention to do what they need most – often this can simply be love and attention for those we love the most
- Challenge ourselves to reach out to the ‘stranger in need’ whoever it may be – could you buy a homeless person some food or drink and spend time talking?
If we all commit to be decent neighbours and Good Samaritans to one another we can transform the world… one small step at a time.
God bless.