Luke 10:25:37) (Sunday, 14, 2013) José Antonio Pagola “Be compassionate as your heavenly Father is compassionate.” This is the legacy Jesus has left humanity. To understand the revolution he wants to introduce into history we must CAREFULLY read his story of the “Good Samaritan”. In it he describes the attitude we have to promote beyond our beliefs and ideological or religious positions, to bring about a more humane world. By the side of a deserted road there lies a human being, robbed, assaulted, stripped of all he has, half dead, left to his fate. Jesus summed up the situation of so many innocent victims unjustly battered and abandoned on so many road sides of history. Over the horizon appear two travelers: first a priest, then a levite – both of them belong to the respectable world of the official religion of Jerusalem. Both behave in the same way: “they see the wounded man, and pass by on the other side.” Both of them close their eyes and their hearts. That man doesn’t exist for them. They pass him over without stopping. This is Jesus’ radical criticism of every religion unable to engender in its members a compassionate heart. What meaning does such a religion lacking in humanity have? Along the way comes a third person. He is not a priest or a levite. He does not even belong to the religion of the Temple. However, on arrival “when he saw him, he took pity on him and went to him.” Then he does all he can for that unknown man to revive him and restore his dignity. This is the motive force Jesus wants to bring into the world. The first thing is not to close our eyes; to learn to “look at” the one who suffers in a careful and responsible manner. This look can free us from the egoism and indifference that allows us to live with a peaceful conscience in the midst of so many innocent victims. At the same time we must “be moved” and allow their suffering to hurt us too. What’s crucial is to react and to get close to those who suffer not to ask if we have an obligation or not to help, but to find out at first hand what it means to be someone in need calling for help from us. The way we react will reveal to us the kind of human beings we are. All this is not theory. The Samaritan in the story does not feel obliged to follow a particular religious or moral code. Quite simply, he responds to the situation of the wounded man by inventing all kinds of practical ways of alleviating his suffering and restoring his life and dignity. Jesus ends with these words: “Go and do likewise.” Help to restore compassion in the world
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 05:00:17 +0000
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