St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Today’s Gospel presents one of the most powerful and familiar parables of Jesus—the story of the Good Samaritan. It begins with a lawyer asking Jesus a profound question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus turns the question back to him, pointing to the law: “Love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” But the lawyer, seeking clarification—or perhaps justification—asks, “And who is my neighbor?”

In response, Jesus tells a story that stretches the limits of love and challenges the boundaries of compassion. A man is left half-dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Two religious men—a priest and a Levite—pass him by. But a Samaritan, considered an outsider and enemy by the Jews, stops, cares for the man, tends his wounds, and pays for his recovery.

Jesus redefines the word “neighbor”. It’s not limited to those who look like us, think like us, or worship like us. In fact, it is the Samaritan—the one least expected—who fulfills God’s law of love. The message is clear: Our neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of boundaries. Love has no borders. True faith is not measured by rituals, but by mercy.

As we leave the church today, let us ask: Who is lying wounded on the roadside near me? In my family? In my workplace? In my parish or neighborhood?

May we not be like the priest or the Levite who saw and passed by, but like the Samaritan who saw and stopped. Let our faith come alive in action. Let love become our legacy.