We are pretty familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan in today's Gospel of Luke. We pray for the grace that the spirit of the Good Samaritan will take flesh in our lives.

A lawyer comes to ask Jesus this question: "Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus affirms the answer of the lawyer rightly: "love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbour as yourself," and encourages him to live it out to gain the eternal life that he is seeking. The lawyer, anxious to justify himself, asks Jesus a provocative follow-up question, "Who is my neighbour?"

Jesus then narrated the story of the Good Samaritan. A priest and a Levite glance briefly at the severely injured stranger but walk away. By contrast, a Samaritan traveller, a non-Jew, shows compassion, stops and helps the injured stranger. He takes extraordinary care of this wounded stranger and acts as if his own life is at stake. This is what it means 'love your neighbour as yourself'.

Then, Jesus changes the focus of the lawyer's question, "what can I do?" to "what can I be? The Samaritan's mercy reflects God's unconditional love and compassion for us that He pays a great price to heal us and redeem us by the death of His beloved Son.

Let us be the 'Good Samaritan' in our family, community or workplace by cultivating awareness and sensitivity to the needs of others, to show God's mercy and love to someone vulnerable and weak.