Father Ronan: And Who Is My Neighbor?

By Father James Ronan

With that question, posed to Jesus so very cleverly, the world received one of the most astonishing of all of His teachings. The call for Christians to Love God and neighbor is expanded so that “neighbor” includes every man, woman and child of every place, land, race and circumstance, who is in need. And even more, when that need is urgent given the desperate circumstances in which persons can be found, the call to Love and act is all the more compelling.

For more than 2,000 years the story of the Good Samaritan has been re-told and contemplated. It inspires, challenges and instructs us as to the expectation God has for all of us: namely, that we would take care of one another—whatever the circumstance and without exception. The teaching, therefore thrusts us into the middle of all kinds of conflicts and messy situations.

Many there are who would question why people of faith and organized religious groups are involved in the affairs of the world. Questions of war, armaments, health, hunger, nutrition, just wages, immigration and others cannot be avoided if the teaching of the Good Samaritan is taken to heart. And we know it must be for Jesus unequivocally explains that the measure of each of our own lives will be none other than the measure we employ with each other—especially those most in need.

And so, once again, we hear this Gospel and wonder how to apply its truth to our own lives. Clearly our culture and our political system are fractured on these issues. Many accuse those in need as lazy and devious, certain that hard work and determination are all that is lacking to succeed. Would that it were that simple.

It seems to me clearer than ever, that we are all so very fragile and being needy can take so very many different forms. It simply is not a matter of rich or poor, literate or illiterate, employed or unemployed. It is much more. Poverty in the final analysis and in its most crippling is inside a person, not outside. To my amazement over the years, I have found very rich people living in terrible poverty and very poor people living with magnificent wealth.

Surely God knows this so very well and wishes none to live in poverty of any kind. Just as no parent would wish a child to suffer in any way—even more so our Creator wants abundance for all. And for this reason, Jesus offers the story of the Good Samaritan.

It seems God’s economic recovery plan, to eliminate poverty at all levels and in all places, is simple: we are to take care of one another–no exceptions, no conditions—such is the nature of Love. God’s love for us, you see, is to be the same love we are to share with one another.

Father James Ronan is pastor of St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Charlestown. Email him at jronan@stmarystcatherine.org.