Common + Passion = Compassion

Common + Passion = Compassion

Scripture

Luke 10:25-37

Reflection

Dear friends,

Today we have the gospel passage with a rich meaning for our lives.

Jesus Christ starts the parable by saying about a person.

It is interesting to note that in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus does not tell us the identity of a person, or his/her ethnic community, or his/her nationality, or his/her social status of the person who needs help.

Secondly, s/he travels from Jerusalem to Jericho.

Jerusalem symbolises the presence of God.

Jericho symbolises the presence of satan.

A person moves from the presence of God to the presence of satan.

It is a movement from the godly ways to ungodly ways.

We know that we are hurt, we are wounded, we are thrashed, and we are robbed of our souls when we fall into ungodly hands, ungodly hearts, ungodly minds, and ungodly things.

It may be the social media, pornography, excessive use of mobile, drugs, bad relationships and so on. It makes us broken in heart, mind, and soul.

Sometimes it can be physical body.

The sin of the priest and of the Levite is that they did not care enough, support, stand with, or even found out if the person was alive or dead, or what kind of help s/he needed.

They were busy in their self-centered world, they choose to completely ignore him.

Who does the person come for, totally broken in body, heart, mind, and soul?

Jesus Christ, the Good Samaritan.

He comes to seek the lost and the least.

He goes after the person who went away from the presence of God, the Creator.

Jesus Christ came to the Earth to die on the Cross for our sins and to reconcile our broken relationship with God.

He comes for us.

The Good Samaritan looks at him with compassion.

Compassion can be a combination of two words.

Common + Passion = Compassion.

What is the common passion between Jesus Christ and us?

We are the image and likeness of God.

Jesus Christ is Divine and Human.

As Divine, Jesus Christ has human nature except sin.

As humans, we have divine nature.

So the common passion is divine.

It is being one with God.

The Divine nature is to reach out to the needy, the marginalised, the downtrodden, the lost and the least.

Jesus Christ the Good Samaritan does it in action, reaching out to all of them personally.

He uses his disciples and followers to do the same on behalf of him.

Here comes the inn and inn-keeper.

Inn-keeper is you and me.

In other words, the followers of Jesus Christ.

He has handed over this responsibility to each and every one of us.

It is our duty to pursue the commandment of Jesus Christ.

Jesus commands every one of us to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Every person who is in need of God’s presence is our neighbour.

Why?

Because loving, caring, supporting, encouraging others moves us from self-centredness to God’s presence.

God loved us so much that he sent his only Son as human to the earth to die on the Cross.

By giving love, care, support, and healing, God rushes in and fills up the self-centredness with his presence.

We were not designed to be selfish.

We are made in the image of God, we are happiest when we unite ourselves to his love.

Joy and satisfaction comes from actively loving everyone: God, others, and ourselves.

May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all. Amen…