Against the Law of Love

When he saw him, he passed by on another side (Lk.10, 31)

In this parable about a good Samaritan we see two people at first, who were considered good, - priest and Levite; both, when seeing a poor man, wounded and robbed, just passed by him. And it is clear for us that those people did not love their neighbor, like they did themselves.

However, both,  the priest and Levite, did not really do any harm to that man. They did not beat him up, or robber him, just after seeing him hurried their own way. This is not a sin, you’d say. True sinners were the robbers, who were so cruel with that man by robbing and wounding him and leaving him right there on the side of the road. Priest and Levite had nothing to do with that. Right, but they sinned against the law of love, when they did not help their neighbor in need.

We are not used to punish ourselves for what we have not done. We, of course, regret when we happen to harm one another. However we are unlikely to reprimand ourselves for missing a chance to do good, to help, which was within our power. And there’s no doubt that we sin greatly by not bringing that love and good, which we could but we did not.

We will give an answer for every chance that we missed to help our neighbor, due to our inattention, carelessness, laziness or self-love. That chance can not be brought back and we should have used it, because it was sent to us by God Himself.

Throughout our life we constantly come across wounded and unfortunate brothers and sisters, left without any help. Who are we going to be for them? Priest, Levite or a good Samaritan?