For a good part of my life, Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan left me feeling very conflicted and burdened with guilt. On the one hand, I obviously did not want to be identified with the priest and the scribe. On the other hand, imitating the good Samaritan presented itself as involving heroic sacrifice that I doubted I am capable of. It was only relatively recently that I started gaining a certain insight into the words of Jesus: "Go and do likewise."
Clearly, Jesus cannot be asking us to slavishly look on the road for victims of robbers, and take them to a motel or hospital. What we are called to imitate is not the precise actions that the Samaritan did, but what he felt in his heart that energised him to take appropriate action: he was moved with compassion, literally, filled with pity, and then he just knew what he had to do, not because of a law or prescription, but because of his heart. Interestingly, this is exactly the same Greek word used to describe what Jesus felt when he looked at the crowds and was "moved with compassion" because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
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| Sheep without a shepherd |
Saint Mother Teresa of Kolkata presents a wonderful modern day example of someone whose life was driven by her compassion. A very different take on where compassion can lead you can be found with Saint Dorothy Day whose heart was filled with compassion for workers and their families who were at the mercy of ruthless employers, and corporations who were out to maximise profits for shareholders no matter the cost to their workers. As Vincentians we can find great inspiration in the model of compassion offered to us in Blessed Frederick Ozanam, our founder. He manages to blend the best of both Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day by his example, firstly, of direct care and compassion for the poor, but also in educating the society of his day regarding the root causes of poverty, and the unjust circumstances keeping the poor in their poverty, and making them ever poorer.
Like the Good Samaritan, and Jesus himself, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and Frederick Ozanam did not approach their life's work as a burden demanded by any law or prescription, but as the natural outflow of hearts filled with compassion. Now Jesus tells us: "Go and do likewise."