We all know we have a duty to be kind to people in need. Many give generously to charities and donate to food banks, but is this a ‘no-touch’ technique that assuages our conscience to a certain degree? How many of us shy away from the homeless drunkard in the street, or walk past by the same beggars who always sit outside our churches and supermarkets? Do we assume that they have fallen on hard times due to their choice of a less than salutary lifestyle? Do we fear getting involved in case we’re dragged into something beyond our capabilities to resolve? What do we really think about illegal immigrants, work shirkers, benefit scroungers… Are these people ‘neighbours’?
The parable of the Good Samaritan defines the concept of being a ‘neighbour’ whom we are enjoined to love as much as we love ourselves. Many Christians, myself included, are guilty of hurrying past or crossing the road to avoid being spotted for various self-justifying reasons (“I’ve already given him cash… she’s dropped off daily by car to beg in this spot… he’s abusive and could attack… social services are already involved…)
We seem to have become a society of strangers rather than a community of neighbours. Let us remember that Jesus loved us enough to be our neighbour for all time.
