Daily Reflection Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

In hearing this parable, the Samaritan appears heroic. We can admire how he selflessly went the extra mile in helping the innocent victim who was beaten and robbed and left for dead. Meanwhile, the respectable men, a priest and a Levite, passed him by. The Samaritan dressed the man’s wounds with oil and bandages, brought him to a nearby inn where he could rest comfortably and safely, and he did all this at his own expense.

However, there were some people in Jesus’ audience that day who would have found this parable offensive. At the time, the Israelites rejected the Samaritans, and they believed, for good reason. Some claimed that they did not remain loyal to the covenant during the long Exile. Some of them may have worshiped foreign gods or married non-Jews. It seems that the whole tribe of Samaritans was tainted by the sins of their elders.

The fact that Jesus cast a Samaritan as the hero shows an openness of the Lord to all of humanity. For Jesus, the Chosen People includes everyone. Time and again we are reminded that, as Jesus said, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven before the self-righteous (Matthew 21:31). So we should think twice before condemning someone . . . for any reason. [214]