“Remember that the Christian life is one of action, not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds and let them be done well.” – St. Vincent Pallotti

Luke 10:25-37: There was a lawyer who, to disconcert him, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus, ‘do this and life is yours.’ But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be traveling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the brigands’ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him,’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’

Christ the Lord This parable is so familiar to us that we often see only one of its dimensions. Certainly it presents a model for us to follow – “Go and do the same yourself” – but it also presents us with a self-portrait of Christ; it reveals what kind of a Lord he is. Each of us has been robbed of our original holiness by original sin. Our own selfishness and sins (and the sins of others) have deeply wounded our souls. We lay on the side of life’s path in need of a Savior. We have been bruised and broken and wounded; the Lord kneels down and lifts us up with his healing touch. Christ is the Good Samaritan, the merciful Lord who heals and restores us with the balm of his sacraments, who pays for our salvation with the boundless riches of his grace, poured out generously on Calvary’s cross and entrusted to the innkeeper of the Church, who watches over our convalescence until he comes again. He is the Lord, yes, but the truly noble Lord, who cares enough to come meet us in our need and carry us safely to his Father’s inn.

Christ the Teacher Christ’s lesson is so simple! “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself, and you will live.” It is within everyone’s reach to live out this simple lesson, even within the reach of a Samaritan, who according to local customs of the time was not supposed to have anything to do with Jews. It summarizes the entire gospel, the entire meaning of life. But we are not satisfied with simplicity. We pester him for clarifications, “Yes, but who actually is my neighbor? …” And he obliges us with further explanations, with the explanation given by the words and examples of thousands of saints, by the teaching of the Church in every age, by the nudges of our own conscience…. And still we find it hard to learn the lesson. One would venture to think that perhaps we don’t really want to learn it. What holds us back from deciding once and for all to make Christ’s standard our own? The complicated shadows of self-absorption have become too comfortable; the simple, bright light of Christ’s truth hurts our eyes. But in our hearts we know what we should do. The time has come to pack up our books and leave the classroom behind; the lesson of how to live only makes sense when we let it change the course of our life.

Christ the Friend The Good Samaritan put himself out to save the half-dead traveler.

• First of all, it was risky: playing dead was a popular ploy of Palestine’s experienced brigands.
• Second, it was costly: he had to expend his own oil and wine, and he had to leave money with the innkeeper.
• Third, it was inconvenient: certainly the Samaritan was on the road for business, maybe very important business, and stopping at the scene of the accident and then taking the fellow to a place of safety would delay his trip. The whole thing was really a bad investment, practically speaking. But friends do that; they put themselves out for their friends, they take risks for them and make sacrifices for them. That’s what Christ did for us (just look at a crucifix), to prove what kind of friend he is. And if we value his friendship, and want to be his friend, we will “go and do the same.”

Jesus: Life is so short. It is so easy to forget that. It is so easy for you to get caught up in the stream of activities that seem so urgent but in fact are secondary. Your primary task, the mission I have given you, is to follow in my footsteps. Open your eyes and your heart to the people around you. See their needs and reach out to them as I have seen yours and reached out to you. If this is hard for you, if the stream of urgencies keeps sweeping you away, don’t worry. Keep contemplating my example, keep thinking of the love I have for you and all that I have done and still do for you. Little by little the weight of my love will give you stability, strength, and peace. My wisdom will be the balm that heals your anxiety.

Christ in My Life Jesus, thank you for coming to earth, paying the price of my sins, and inviting me to your heavenly banquet. I don’t thank you enough for all you have done for me. You didn’t pass me by when you saw me in need. You never do. You are always with me, no matter how hard life may get. Keep me faithful to you, Lord, just as you are always faithful to me…

How I yearn for clarity of mind! Life seems so complicated sometimes, Lord. I know it’s because I’m too self-absorbed. Help me, teach me, send me the wisdom of your Spirit, clean out the junk drawer of my soul. I want to be completely free to live life as you created me to live it. I love you, Lord; teach me to do your will…

Being a Good Samaritan at times seems too hard, too demanding. But I know, even from my own experience, that it’s really not so hard at all – once I decide to do it. Help me to be courageous in those critical moments of decision. If I can resist the temptation to self-centeredness right when a chance to love presents itself, the rest will be smooth sailing…

PS: This is just one of 303 units of Fr. John’s fantastic book The Better Part. To learn more about The Better Part or to purchase in print, Kindle or iPhone editions, click here. Also, please help us get these resources to people who do not have the funds or ability to acquire them by clicking here.

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Art: Cover of The Better Part used with permission. The Good Samaritan, Jacopo Bassano, circa 1562-1562, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, Wikimedia Commons.