Lenten Reflection Day 34 - by Kim Wu
Luke 10:30-35 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Father Richard Rohr’s meditations this week contained some words from Pope Francis on solidarity in the face of current crises.
“The big wide world is none other than a global village, because everything is interconnected, but we do not always transform this interdependence into solidarity. There is a long journey between interdependence and solidarity. The selfishness—of individuals, nations and of groups with power—and ideological rigidities instead sustain “structures of sin.””
Our commitment to solidarity should arise from following the teachings of Jesus. Jesus, “who made himself nothing,” came to serve and give His life to establish a different kind of Kingdom, based on a different set of values.
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus points us to a person risking his life in order to give help to a stranger. Even better, a stranger who is of a completely different race and religion.
Jesus built His church by being crucified, and He asks us to take up the cross with Him, and follow His way of life. This is the journey we are to take, the “long journey between interdependence and solidarity.”
Heavenly Father, I pray that You, the God of steadfastness and encouragement, may grant us the ability and will to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Your Son, Christ Jesus, so that together we may with one voice glorify You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 15:5-6)