This Sunday, the Book of Deuteronomy tells us: “The word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may put it into practice” (Deut. 30:14). And the Gospel also ends with an invitation to act upon what we have heard: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37).
The content of the Word we are called to live out in today’s Gospel is expressed in the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan, and can be summarized as a conversion of our hearts to the compassionate and merciful love of God, which translates into caring for those in need. Interestingly, the person in need shown to us in this parable is a foreigner—completely opposed to the Jewish mindset—seen as despicable and impure, and not considered a neighbor worthy of help.
Pope Francis devotes a chapter of the encyclical Fratelli Tutti to delving deeper into the parable of the Good Samaritan, when addressing the universal love that should define us. He notes that “love does not care whether a wounded brother is from here or from elsewhere. For it is love that breaks down the walls that isolate and divide us, building bridges; love that enables us to create one great family where all of us can feel at home… A love that knows compassion and dignity” (FT, no. 62). How urgently needed it is today to tear down the cultural, ideological, and racial walls that label us, divide us, and even destroy us, and instead consider every person as our brother or sister!
The Samaritan stops, setting aside his own plans in order to respond to the urgency of his wounded brother. He places his own affairs in second place and generously offers something we today consider precious: personal time. He stops to care for the one in need: he sees him, draws near, acts; he tends to him and stays by his side through the night. He gives his time, witnessing that there is nothing more important to do at that moment. We often find it hard to give our time: “since we are so focused on our own needs, seeing someone suffer disturbs and bothers us, because we don’t want to waste our time due to other people’s problems” (FT, no. 65). How much good we can do for others when we stop to listen to their story, show interest, and offer a gesture of affection, freeing ourselves from our own urgencies!
Lastly, today we speak of the “ethic of care” that this Gospel can inspire. Caring for others is the most genuine experience of love, because love is always concrete and healing. The Samaritan came near to the wounded man, bandaged his wounds, treated them with oil and wine, placed him on his own animal, sought shelter for him, and involved the innkeeper. He did not pass by, nor did he ask whether the man was his “neighbor”—he simply took responsibility for his brother.
Surely this is the path for the “conversion to the Lord our God with all our heart and soul” spoken of in the first reading, bearing in mind that the Lord’s command “is not too hard for you, nor is it beyond your reach” (Deut. 30:10–11).
As we reflect on this parable of the Good Samaritan, we take to heart the questions raised in Fratelli Tutti: “Will we bend down to touch and heal the wounds of others? Will we bend down and carry one another on our shoulders? This is the challenge before us, and we should not be afraid to face it” (no. 70).
Sr. María Inés Fuente
Prioress Provincial
Province of Saint Rose of Lima
