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Opening Prayer:
All pray the Sign of the Cross
God of Love, Grant us a deep love for You, that we may see the world as You see it, feel the compassion You feel, and become a people who carry Your love to others. Amen.
Using the Bible, invite a family member to read the Gospel aloud.
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Things to talk about:
Which is harder . . . to love God with everything you have or to love your neighbor as yourself?
In today’s Gospel story, Jesus teaches us that everyone is our neighbor, which means that we should love everyone. Are there any people in your life who are hard to love?
Share a time when someone helped you in a time of need. In what way was God present at that moment?
Adults: When have you gone out of your way to help a stranger in need?
Kids: Would you help a new student who needed help? Why or why not?
Things to do:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to “Go and do likewise”. At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon says something similar. At Mass this weekend, listen for the words he says.
The Good Samaritan was on a journey when he stopped to help his neighbor; go on your own hiking journey today. Find a local park or hiking trail to explore a path. Be sure to stretch, stay hydrated, and follow posted safety guidelines. Take time to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation and be friendly to the people you meet along the way.
Make Oil and Wine Steak Marinade… In today’s Gospel, oil and wine were used to heal the man who was hurt by the robbers. Those two ingredients can also make your steaks taste delicious! Clickherefor the recipe.
Justice Challenge-What might God be asking of you today to be in solidarity with those who are in need? Ask in prayer, write it down, share it with someone, and make a plan to act!
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You teach us in your parable that there are two kinds of people– –those who bend down to help and those who look the other way. Which kind of people will we be?
We say, “Yes, Lord, I will love you and love my neighbor.” But then we ask: The migrant… is she my neighbor? Those in poverty…are they my neighbors? Victims of war across the world… are they neighbors? One who faces racism… is he my neighbor? Those disabled or elderly… are they my neighbors?
You remind us: Yes. All of us neighbors.
Show us how to love, Lord. May we open our eyes. May we emerge from our comfortable isolation. May we build a world of compassion and dignity.
Lord Jesus, who was neighbor to all, Help us to persevere in love. Help us to restore dignity to the suffering. Help us to build a society based not on exclusion, but on community.
Name those who need our prayers. Close with the Sign of the Cross.
Catholic Insights
Christianity has a long-standing tradition of teaching “natural law,” the belief that all people can understand and agree with universal moral teachings, regardless of their religion or education, because they flow from nature. This teaching says that because we all have a conscience, we all have the ability to discern what is good and what is evil even without any religious upbringing. Accordingly, anyone who hears Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan should recognize that it is the Samaritan, not the priest or the Levite, who does the right thing when he comes upon the victim who was beaten and robbed.
The lawyer who was testing Jesus in the finer points of the law knew it was the Samaritan who acted as a neighbor, but he had trouble swallowing this fact because the Jews despised Samaritans. The Good Samaritan wasn’t Jewish and didn’t live according to the letter of all the Jewish laws. Still, he grasped natural law and went out of his way to help a suffering human being. What is even more ironic is that the priest and the Levite who passed by the victim were following the letter of the law which said they shouldn’t touch a person who is bleeding, lest they become defiled themselves. If they were defiled, they would not be allowed to minister in the Temple or function in the community without first going through a detailed process of purification.
What this passage comes down to is the question: Where do we fall? Do we fall on the side of the lawyer, the priest, and the Levite who know and keep the letter of the laws? Or do we fall on the side of the Good Samaritan who responds spontaneously out of compassion because it is the right thing to do?
Did you know….In total, the Old Testament contains 613 laws and commandments.
In the Gospel reading, the lawyer summarizes these Old Testament laws in two parts: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus agrees with this summation.
The parable of the Good Samaritan then raises the question of how to live out these laws in real life.
View this short Good Samaritan video to teach children the meaning of the parable.
Resources adapted from 52Sundays.com, Breaking Open the Word, Center for Ministry Development, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
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