The Good Samaritan and Our Nation's Violence
This reflection is adapted from a homily given by Fr. Jim Greenfield, OSFS,
provincial, on the Sunday after five police officers were killed in Dallas.
The journalist David Brooks said recently on the PBS Newshour: “There are a lot of
rancid overgeneralizations in our society today—that all African American men
behind the wheel are dangerous, that all Muslims are somehow involved in terrorism,
that all cops are somehow at war with communities.”
The Good Samaritan parable is about being in the right place—overcoming
mythic/tribal thinking. It's about not giving into those rancid overgeneralizations or
fears about the other. It's about recognizing that whether we are in Dallas, Baton
Rouge, Minneapolis, or Orlando, our right and proper place is to stand with each
other.
Greg Boyle, SJ, wrote in Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
that even the Beatitudes are all about being in the right place. He points out that
Scripture scholars contend that the original language of the Beatitudes should not be
rendered as “Blessed are the single-hearted” or “Blessed are the peacemakers” or
“Blessed are those who struggle for justice.” Greater precision in translation would
say, “You’re in the right place if … you are single-hearted or work for peace.” The
Beatitudes are not spirituality but geography—they tell us where to stand.
We are all too aware of how often authorities have unfairly reproved black Americans
for being in the wrong place. Black Americans, and other minorities, often have to
live in a society that sees them as being in the wrong place. The powers that be wear
badges that give them authorization to deal with people who are mentally ill,
chemically altered, emotionally labile, and physically violent. Let us pray for wise
discernment of those deputed to maintain peace—that they may never exercise their
authority on the basis of overgeneralizations.
Which peoples do we see as “other” and in the wrong place? The parable of the Good
Samaritan challenges us to see all people and travel in all places with eyes and hearts
of mercy. James Keenan, SJ, says that mercy is entering into the chaos of another.
Pope Francis reminds us that mercy is the face of God, and his most recent book is
entitled The Name of God is Mercy.
Jesus teaches that mercy is both the name and the nature of God. And, the concept of
place was of paramount importance to him as he saw right through those barriers in
all the Gospels. Truly, Jesus wants us standing in the right place and entering into the
chaos of others on all the Jericho roads of our lives as needed.
The Good Samaritan was the one who knew to stand on the right side of the street—
the priest and scribe had other things to do. We must remember Lorne Ahrens,
Michael Krol, Michael Smith, Brent Thompson, and Patrick Zamarripa, the slain
police officers in Dallas, who were standing, with mercy, as they guarded the peaceful
protest of their fellow citizens when they were killed. As disciples who have plenty of
other things to do, do we have the presence of mind and heart to bring mercy to the
places we travel? And, can we pray that mercy grows in those places where vulnerable
travelers trod and overgeneralizations reign?