October 9, Monday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint John Leonardi and Saint-Denis and his companions
Daily Readings: Jonah 1:1–2:1-2, 11; Luke 10:25-37
The priest and the Levite passed by on the other side, even though they saw the injured man lying beside the road. We don’t know why they kept going without stopping. Perhaps they feared a trap or were rushing to an appointment. Perhaps they thought the man was already dead and beyond their help. All we know is that they failed to stop and offer assistance. But the Samaritan did stop and render immediate aid, even providing for future care.
But what is even more amazing is what the Samaritan did not do. He did not ask the man questions to determine if he was deserving of help. How often do we hear people, including ourselves, say that they won’t help beggars or contribute to a charity to assist those in need? “It’s a scam.” They’ll just use the money for drugs or alcohol.” “My help won’t make a difference.” “They’ll be back in jail soon no matter what I do.”
Instead of helping without question or reserve, we try to decide who deserves our compassion. The answer to that question is easy: all children of God deserve our loving compassion. May we, like the Good Samaritan, respond with mercy.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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