Sunday July 10: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Practice: Many explanations have been offered for why neither the priest nor the Levite came to the aid of the person in the ditch. Martin Luther King, Jr. offered this possibility: “I’m going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It is possible these men were afraid … And so the first question that the priest and the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’… But then the Good Samaritan came by, and he reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop by to help this man, what will happen to him?’”

Reflect on the influence of fear in your life, and how it may play a part in your decision making. What comes to the light? Is there a prayer that arises from your heart?

You may find a link to the full email here: https://mailchi.mp/coutreach/word-of-the-week-july10

 

My first reaction to Amy-jills’ commentary is that I actually know two guys who aren’t awaiting parole from life sentences for murder, through, AA corrections correspondence.   I don’t have to bind up Any wounds; all I have to do is sit here in NH and take a letter to the mail box.  (they are on the west coast).

i was about to say that I have an easier job than the Samaritan when I realized thst I missed AJ’s point.  The “good murderer.” Well – when I was awaiting cancer test results (all is well now)  back in April,  Jose would let me know by e mail every day that he was praying for me and that God had my back

Who is “the person in the ditch” here in Sacramento?  The people living in homeless encampments. The encampments are increasingly visible and have become a matter of community concern and some political posturing.  Sadly, public policy is trending toward making homelessness a crime. Last Sunday’s newspaper presented a balanced description of the situation; however, most quotes were from public officials, not from homeless advocacy/outreach groups or the campers themselves. I wrote a letter to the editor suggesting that these other groups and individuals be given a chance to speak  their truth.  They may have solutions that are creative and life supporting.  I rarely encounter the people in the camps; I suspect my main fear would be my physical limitations in reaching an encampment not what I would find when I got there. (Many camps are along the river where the terrain is uneven and sometimes inaccessible. So, I use my voice as best I can.

From Pope Francis on 10-16-21. ( I found this in a pile of saved letters to the editor):” Do you know what comes to mind when I think of the Good Samaritan?  The protests over the death of George Floyd….in that protest against this death, there was the Collective Samaritan who is no fool!  This movement did not pass on the other side of the road. “

Sunday July 10: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

As I reflect on the influence of fear in my life and my decision making, I realized how what I fear changed over the course of my life. As a child, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and I feared her death. I pleaded with God for her not to die. God’s reply: not yet; 25 years later her death occurred. Today, my imagination suggests that if I help someone, enter a crowd, make encouraging small talk, will any of those loving interactions lead to my own death? The light of God’s love shines on my own fear of death. The prayer that arises is the same Jesus prayed in Gethsemane: not my will but Thine. And may I be used of God to bind someone’s wounds each day. <3 linda

Thank you for sharing this reflection, Linda. It touched my heart. – Pamela Begeman

Sitting with this question: influence of fear in my life and its place in decision making, out of know where pops into my  awareness the temptation narrative. I tried to ignore this for 4 days, as  I am participating in a retreat. In retreat closure, I came face to face with the “devil” that is me , the one for whom the “plan” is important; not just any plan, but “my” plan, “the plan”; “the plan which is my plan”. Right now I don’t have the words to share this experience, suffice it to say, I am   experiencing something  similar to that of Mary Magdalene in the garden (John 20: 16-17).

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