Luke 10:25-37

            25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live." 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, `Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

          Now I wonder, which is the oldest profession? Being a lawyer or being a...... but I digress.

          I love this reading. In my mind, I wonder what each of the three characters in this little drama  are thinking.

Priest:   I have places to go? My Bishop wants to see me? I am running a fundraiser for the poor,

              surely the hordes of poor are more important than this pitiful man who probably deserved

              what happened to him.

Levite:  It would be against God's law for me to make myself unclean by touching such an individual;    

             Surely, it is God's will. I wonder who's sin caused this, his or his parents?

Samaritan:   I have been blessed by God, let me help someone who has fallen on hard times; I know 

                    how it feels to be cast aside as worthless and untouchable, I am going to help him 
                    because  that's what I would want someone to do for me; 

         How much of a lawyer is in each of us? Are we afraid to help others in a time of need for fear we'll be sued? I can't imagine it's that we don't care.  Perhaps we are too busy.  Maybe we don't think they deserve it? Jesus clearly does think people are deserving of help..

         As Thanksgiving approaches, I received my first request for money to help feed needy families. I certainly do not think that these people in need are lazy and responsible for their own misfortune. Maybe they are, who knows. I do not think I should write them off as 47% of our country may soon be. One thing I know, whatever the cause, they could use some help and they deserve a good meal because every single one of us is created and loved by God and each of us has tons to be thankful for. Some of us can afford to dine lavishly and some will dine on tofurkey, I think we can all lend a hand so others don't have to eat dog food as a thanksgiving dinner.

          A few years back, my husband and I volunteered to help at a soup kitchen on thanksgiving day because even then, we knew we were incredibly blessed. There is no law or perfect way to help others. It all depends on the heart of the giver, their means, their generosity and their compassion.

          Let loose your love !