Building Respect

July 13, 2025; Luke 10:25-37; 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jews and Samaritans at  the time of Jesus hated one another. Although they lived on the same land, their histories and different beliefs made them enemies. Similar to Jews and Palestinians today, they viewed each other with distain and wrote one another off. So the question posed by today’s gospel is this: why would a Samaritan help a Jew? The response we would expect when a Samaritan saw a Jew beaten and lying in a ditch is: “What is this to me? This man is not my concern.” So why would a Samaritan help his enemy?

Perhaps it was because this Samaritan knew what it felt like to be rejected and written off. Perhaps it was because this Samaritan remembered the pain he felt when others cursed  him or spat on the ground as he walked by, and he decided that rather than returning hate with hate it was time for hate to end. Because he had been robbed of his dignity by others, perhaps this Samaritan was able to identify with the Jew who had lost his dignity at the hands of the robbers.

If this is the case, then today’s gospel suggests that we can grow in our respect for others by remembering the times when we were not given respect. We can bridge divisions when we remember our own pain and our own weakness. Sometimes people irk us by being so concerned about themselves, their ideas, their family, their successes. Then, we are ready to shout, “Who does she think she is?” A good way to silence our anger is to remember a time when we boasted in ourselves and used our advantage or achievements to put others down. Our sins of pride can be the means of finding compassion for proud people. Sometimes we find ourselves in a violent argument with a spouse or a friend over what should  happen in our family or what should happen in our country. We can’t believe that the person we are arguing with is so blind and cannot see the obvious truth. A way to dial down the violence is to remember the times when we were wrong, when we could not see the truth. When we are inclined to belittle someone because of their race, nationality, or background, we might remember times when we were belittled because of a mistake or misunderstanding. Remembering the pain of that moment can cause us to think again and take a more positive direction with another person.

One way or the other, we must find a way of getting along with one another. If we are not making progress by building on our strengths, perhaps we can find compassion in remembering our weakness. Recalling the hurt that we received from others can stop us from hurting someone else and remind us of something we share in common. Remember, it was only when the Samaritan saw the Jew in the ditch that he recognized him as a brother.