What Makes a Good Samaritan?
Reflections on Compassion The Good Samaritan of Luke 10 was courageous. And he incurred personal risks by aiding the injured man he encountered along the road, writes Marist Father Gerald Arbuckle in the July-August 2007 edition of Health Progress, published by the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Not only did the Samaritan aid the injured man, however; the injured man also aided him: The victim reminds the Samaritan of his own “need for compassion. This is the victim’s gift to the caregiver.” Father Arbuckle directs the Marists’ Refounding and Pastoral Development Unit in Sydney, Australia. The Good Samaritan’s compassionate action is prophetic, Father Arbuckle believes, but a prophet’s ministry is dangerous. Why? Because prophets dare “to remind people of the need to respect human dignity, to be compassionate, to be particularly concerned for people who are poor.” Luke’s story details the Samaritan’s qualities, Father Arbuckle says. First, the Samaritan is courageous
