I have learned some wonderful life lessons over the past years from many wonderful people. One very special lesson is to admire when people go out of their way to show you their respect and courtesy. For example, I have experienced the great efforts parents make to help their children become successful. I have also seen friends help each other out when one needed encouragement. Just to give a personal example from my own life, I remember when I was first assigned to be a hospital chaplain. It necessitated my moving closer to the hospital because of being on call for emergencies. One of the doctors that I became friends with, Dr. Michael Fuller, graciously went out of his way to help me. As I was moving from my previous residence, he showed up by surprise and helped me carry furniture, books, clothing, and other items as I went into my new residence. I was overwhelmed with gratitude that there was a doctor going out of his way for me, because of friendship and professional courtesy. He took time from his busy schedule to help me move! I was forever grateful. In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan, as a parable from which we must learn. To begin the story, a lawyer approaches Jesus and asks “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Perhaps hoping that Jesus would give him the bare minimum for an answer, instead he tells the lawyer the story of the Good Samaritan as an example. This man goes out of his way to help a victim beaten by robbers by caring for him and providing resources he needed to heal. In this this story, Jesus was answering the lawyer that he needed to do “more” in the sense of offering love and generosity to someone in need. “More” doesn’t mean one has to give a lot of things or do a lot of activities to help. It means giving with a whole heart. The parable of the Good Samaritan is about putting love of God and love of neighbor into action. How did the Samaritan overcome the desire to act selfishly? How do we? We do this by putting love into practice, all the time, even though it will be hard. We do this by asking God to guide us; to do good without concern for inconvenience or repayment: this is love           ~ Fr. John