An interesting story came out of Los Angeles. A dog was hit while crossing a highway and did not survive. Shortly after the accident, a motorist arrived on the scene and was greeted by an unusual sight - there was a second dog. The second dog was perfectly healthy, unharmed, and lying beside the dog was struck by the car, showing a sense of care by not leaving the side of the stricken dog. What a touching sight and a great picture of Christian compassion.
Upon reading this story it brought to my mind the story of the Good Samaritan. In that story, a man, much like the dog had suffered great harm. The man was still living, though beaten, bruised and robbed. A priest came along, saw the man and passed by on the other side. A Levite came along and responded in like manner. Then a Samaritan, the least likely of the three that would be expected to help, came along. He responded with great compassion. Lifting the injured man onto his donkey, he transported him to an inn. Gave the inn keeper money to take care of the injure man and promised to cover all costs.
There are many lessons to be learned from this story.In this time of crisis, I think the lesson is straightforward. We need to be sensitive to the needs of those around us and respond in kind and loving ways.
Amen!