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We are the Good Samaritans

Within today's Gospel is the story of the Good Samaritan (LK 10:30-37). Since I was a kid I have always wondered one thing about this story - who was the guy on the ground?  My first inclination was that the first two guys who walked by must have thought he was dead. As I got older my thoughts got a little more nuanced: maybe he was recognizable as a criminal, or he wasn't Jewish, or he was a leper. There had to be some reason why two otherwise upstanding citizens would pass him by but a "foreigner" thought enough to stop and help him. Now  I think I know what it is. The Samaritan had also once been beaten and had "foreigners" come to his aid . He was filled with compassion for his fellow man because he had once been in his place and relied on others to pull him through.

We veterans have the Good Samaritan embedded in our nature.  We serve with people of all backgrounds, races, and socioeconomic status. If you have worn the uniform you are part of the veteran community for life. If we see a fellow veteran in trouble we help, regardless of the circumstances, because we have shared the same struggles and challenges. We are the Samaritans for each other.

I have been a very casual Facebook user for several years. When my father died in 2014 I counted childhood neighbors, high school and college buddies, colleagues, co-workers, and shipmates among those who were my Facebook "friends".  When I announced his death the overwhelming number of condolences came from my shipmates. Since my ship had been transferred to the Taiwanese Navy after decommissioning, I even got condolences in Chinese from those sailors. I have no doubt in my mind that in my times of trouble they would never pass me by. They would be the Good Samaritans.

When I was looking for images for this blog post I was surprised at some of them. When I saw the version on the left I immediately saw the one on the right in my mind. I think it makes the point.




God bless you, my friends.





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