The Good Samaritan - I have lost track of how many times I have heard or read this parable. It’s like having a long-time friend; I enjoy its company and feel I know everything about it, and there’s nothing new to learn. Yet, I am not the person I was the last time this reading surfaced in the lectionary. As the saying goes, “I have slept since then.” I ask the Holy Spirit to slow me down so that I might see the reading from the perspective of who I am today and notice the invitation(s) for a deeper relationship with Jesus.
The first invitation I notice is in the preface to the parable, The Great Commandment. As the authors write, the importance of the qualifiers (heart, being, strength, and mind) is to plant the flag of God’s sovereignty over the whole of one’s life. That is to keep my heart (inner life), being (soul), strength (energy, resolve, resources), and mind (intellect, creativity), centered on God.* This call to holistic living reminds me of the military imagery in The Call of the King found in the Spiritual Exercises. The invitation is to re-choose which banner I will follow. Will it be Christ’s or the enemy of the human spirit? Is my response an all-in commitment, or is it tepid? Ignatius warns against making a half-hearted election. Be bold, commit, and then trust in God’s grace to carry me forward with my election.
The second invitation I notice is the reactions of the priest and the Levite. Their titles imply they are both educated in the law and therefore should know how to respond. They choose to “turn a blind eye” and continue on their journey. What is behind their motivation? Are they afraid, do they want to avoid the inconvenience of changing their plans, or disrupting their lives of privilege? The invitation is to focus on my response and reaction, rather than judging the actions of others. Therefore, how do I respond to the people in my life who need assistance?
The third invitation is to see the injured man through the eyes of the Samaritan. Stripped and beaten, there is no way of knowing if he is rich or poor, an important member of society, or an ordinary traveler. He might be a Jew, a member of the Samaritan’s tribe, or a stranger to the region. The Samaritan only sees a person who is injured and might die without receiving help. He listens to his inner voice, the one God planted in his heart, which moved him with compassion. The Holy Spirit’s invitation to me is to be more attentive to God’s voice within me and to be a contemplative in action.
The wisdom of Sacred Scripture is timeless. No matter what is happening in my life or the world, it continually invites me to new understanding and growth. The invitation(s), and sometimes the challenge(s), are to see the reading within the context of today. If I focus on the present and carefully listen, I have a much better chance of noticing what I have previously failed to see or hear and applying my new insights to be part of God’s plan of building a better world.
Reflection invitations:
1. What, in this reading, invites you to deeper reflection/transformation?
2. Which banner is planted in your heart?
3. Imagine yourself in the reading. What do you see? How do you respond?
*The New Interpreter’s Bible, A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume IX, Abingdon Press, 1990, 227.
Gladyce Janky
I joined the School of Pharmacy and Health Profession as a chaplain in 2015, subsequently working in the Law and Graduate Schools and Heider College of Business. I continued working with distance graduate students after moving to Sun City, AZ, in 2021. I transitioned to my current life phase in July 2023, when I retired. I am a graduate of the CSP program with two master’s degrees and hold certificates in the History of the Ignatian Tradition and Spiritual Direction and Directed Retreats.
Writing reflections helps me break open the transformative power of scripture. The message is alive and relevant to me when I put myself into the story. Jesus is not just “back there.” He is here accompanying me. I share what I write with others to invite them to listen to how God is inviting them to greater spiritual freedom.
