A Personal Call to Mercy: Understanding the Good Samaritan

by Fr. John Granato  |  07/13/2025  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Today we hear the parable of the Good Samaritan. Before we condemn the priest and the Levite for avoiding taking care of the victim, we must first understand the law of Moses. Touching a dead body would make you unclean, and the person is unclean would have to go through several steps of ritual purity to make himself clean once again. Since priests and Levites provided a role in the community for the Jews, they would want to avoid a body in such a state, not knowing of the body was dead or alive in order not to have to go through the purity laws.

The Samaritan, an enemy of the Jews, had no problem stopping and taking care of the victim who was near death. When Jesus asks the Jews “Who was neighbor to the victim?” it is obvious that the Samaritan was most neighborly. Jesus is challenging us to offer mercy to all people, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, especially to those in need most need. It is one thing to be obedient to the law, as the priest and the Levite were, but it is another thing to offer mercy to anyone in need of compassion and mercy.

This understanding of the parable is important, but it is also to be understood personally and individually. We cannot neglect our duty as a Good Samaritan by relying on the government to take care of victims of oppression; it is not the government’s duty or obligations. But Jesus is quick to remind us that it is your obligation, as a follower of Christ, to do what you can to take care of a victim of oppression. It is a personal invitation by our Lord to care for all people.

Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is the one who seeks mercy and love and compassion through your hands, not the hands of the government. Jesus will not ask us if we paid our fair share of taxes. Jesus will ask us if we showed love and compassion to our neighbor who was in need. God bless