St Edmundsbury Cathedral
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.
Luke 10:33-34 NLT
Compassion is to feel pity for someone else. It means to experience similar emotions as the sufferer does, to suffer alongside them. And here the Samaritan, with little thought for his own safety, is moved by compassion and tends the wounds of the man beaten by robbers with olive oil, the symbol of healing and mercy.
When the coronavirus arrived there was palpable panic across the nation. But we cannot eradicate the element of risk from our lives. Sometimes the process of seeking to limit risk comes at the cost of practical social support for one another. While I can always present a case why I cannot get involved, as is clear from the priest and the Temple assistant who passed the Samaritan by, in God’s kingdom ‘the other’ has a call upon me that is greater than any demand I have for my own welfare. One thinks of Mother Teresa, who faithfully followed God’s call to tend to the needs of the abandoned, left to die alone on the streets. Our mentor and inspiration for this compassionate way of life is Jesus, who abandoned the security of eternity to live on earth. The price he paid for the redemption of humanity was total, and this redemption carried with it the risk of rejection by those on whose behalf the price was paid.
We are invited to risk our lives in the service of God. We can never lose, even if we sacrifice our life, for it is invested for the benefit of another.
Many are broken throughout our society. Many wounds are not as evident as those the Samaritan attended to, but are real nonetheless, in need of God’s oil of compassion.
QUESTION
Can you redirect your steps to bring healing and blessing to another?
PRAYER
Live in me, and do your work through me, Lord.
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