Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy
upon me a sinner.
Hello,
Welcome!
This is the first article for my blog- 'The Journey' and
I thought of sharing my humble views and inputs on the parable of the good
Samaritan. The good Samaritan epitomized 'compassion with action' on a man badly
wounded during an unfortunate event on his journey.
Let us first read the below passage from the Holy
Scripture:
“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him,
saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is
your reading of it?”
So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and
with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do
this and you will live.”
But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down
from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his
clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a
certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the
other side. Likewise a Levite, when he
arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came
where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and
bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal,
brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed,
he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take
care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’
So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the
thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (The
Gospel of St Luke 10:25-37; NKJV)
********************************************
In this
passage we see a lawyer wanting to test the Lord and he asks what shall he do
to inherit eternal life. Our Lord knowing the man’s heart, instead asks him on
his outlook on what is written in the law. To love God will all your heart,
soul and strength and to love the neighbor as oneself came the answer. Jesus
approved. Further, the man asked on who was his neighbor. To answer this
question, our Lord told the parable of the good Samaritan in a lucid manner.
This is a
parable about a man who set on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho. As Bishop
Kallistos Ware puts it- we are always on a journey- through
the inward space of the heart. Like the Israelites in the desert of Sinai: we
live in tents, not houses, for spiritually we are always on the move.
(Prologue, The Orthodox Way, SVSPress). This journey offers us the opportunity
to learn and experience. We may experience some sweet cherishing instances
while we may learn from not so good ones. All of us are on a journey and what
we ought do to our fellow travelers is to “bear one another’s burdens” as St
Paul puts because this is how we “fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2;
NKJV).
The injured man is amongst us- in our homes, in our
churches, in our workplaces, in our schools. Sometimes we are the ones who
contribute to the injury. Coming to the topic of this post, we have made an unwritten rule- the rule to make the church a ‘baby free zone’. A crying baby in the church and the mother are looked down up with stares and often advises (which
can be hurtful sometimes) because a crying and ‘naughty’ baby is an intolerable
intrusion on our right to pray peacefully.
My post doesn’t
intend that children should never be disciplined. We need to slowly and
steadily teach them (softly and firmly), that they need to be well behaved
during the liturgy. We need to think- have we ourselves been role models to children
regarding worship?
The Church
is a hospital so says St John Chrysostom. A hospital to give the tired and weary
some rest. A mother with small kids is already going through a huge battle. The
least we can offer to her is not to be judgmental on how bad mother she is
because her baby was crying during the liturgy.
If we are
to dream of having children grow up as God fearing spiritual beings, then we
all are to contribute. Raising children is actually a communal responsibility.
Unfortunately, this sense of common responsibility for the care of children has
been deeply eroded in today’s times. Haven’t we often heard of “it takes a
village to raise a child”. This proverb, cited to be an African one, sends a
key message that success of the child depends on the community.
What role
have you played in life of a child and the mother while on your way to liturgy?
Were you
the robber who hurt the mother with your comments, advises and stares because
her baby/kids didn’t behave like heavenly angels in the liturgy?
Did you
ignore the “injured’ mother with the crying baby and wish she was never there
in the parish because her and her baby’s presence was an impediment to your
worship?
Or were you
the good Samaritan who offered any help required to calm the baby, gave a smile
to her and baby instead of a judgmental stare, prayed for her instead wishing
both of them weren’t there?
Wait! We aren’t
done yet. There is another role (which almost all of are guilty of). Read the Holy Scripture passage again.
The first verse says- “And behold, a
certain lawyer stood up and tested Him,”. The lawyer stood up. In the eastern
cultures we stand up when we approach someone elder or a person of authority. The lawyer
gave the respect to the Lord but the great irony that it was to test Him. Outwardly
he gave the respect that was due but his inner intentions said otherwise.
So are you
like the lawyer who would outwardly be respectful and worshiping but would
have a heart filled with judgmental thoughts?
Let us
spare a moment and pray:
‘O Lord,
keep the little children in Your grace and mercy. May Your name be glorified
through them. Edify the minds of these little ones to learn to love you with
all their heart and soul. May their souls be adorned with virtues. By the
prayers and intercession of the holy Theotokos, O Lord, grant patience and
godliness to the mothers. Lord Jesus Christ, You who taught us to pray for our
enemies, remove any anger, resentment and bitter thoughts that we may have against
those who have hurt us in words and deeds. Lord we pray to bless them and guide
them according to Your will. We praise and glorify the Triune God for ever and
ever. Amen.’
But Jesus
said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such
is the kingdom of heaven.” (St Mathew 19:14; NKJV)
“In
children we have a great charge committed to us. Let us bestow great care upon
them, and do everything that the Evil One may not rob us of them…We take care
of our possessions for our children, but of the children themselves we take no
care at all. Form the soul of thy son aright, and all the rest will be added
hereafter.”- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on 1 Timothy, Homily 9 (NPNF
Series-I, Volume-XIII).
By the
prayers of the holy Theotokos and all the saints, Lord have mercy upon us.
In Christ,
Rincy John
