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BIBLICAL ICON

READThe Parable of theGood Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37)

What is the Gospel saying to us today?

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a simple Gospel adventure.There is a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers attack,strip, and beat him. They leave him on the side of the road half-dead. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But aSamaritan stops and cares for him, taking him to an inn where hepays for his care.

The parable of the Good Samaritan has been interpreted in manyways and the story has proved to be a popular one for homilies,meditations and retreats. The General Council invites Lasallians tore-read this parable in the light of our personal and collectiveresponsibility to respond to the poor in our midst. This is a journeythat requires us to embrace the condition of the poor with mercyand compassion. This is a journey of understanding of what itmeans to be human in a world that is increasingly consumerist andcommercial.

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3Lasallian reflection 2015-2016

PUTTING THE HUMAN PERSON AT THE HEART

OF OUR LASALLIAN RESPONSE

1. “The cry of the poor”

Today poverty can no longer be consideredsolely as a problem arising from the social exclu-sion of individuals from the labor market. We livewith a reality that is disconcerting in many ways.Unfortunately, other forms of poverty affect adiverse range of marginalized people and giverise to weak family and community relation-ships, crime, regional conflicts and violence,employment instability, social insecurity, illness,homelessness, social migration, and humantrafficking.

As Brother Álvaro Rodríguez, former SuperiorGeneral, emphasized, poverty takes many forms:there is the poverty of isolation andabandonment; the poverty of the excluded,who live on the edges of rich and opulent cities,those branded the society’s “failures”; thepoverty of the victims of a culture of identitythat refuses to accept what is different; thepoverty of AIDS’ victims; the poverty of thoseentrapped in addictions; yet another poverty isthe condition of those with physical or mentalproblems; the poverty of migrants and refugees,many of whom live in hiding; the poverty ofthose who are enslaved and trafficked; thepoverty of those who live without God, of thosewho have deliberately removed God from theirlives; finally, there is the poverty of those youngpeople who live without meaning or trust intheir lives.

2. “They carry out their mission as a

witness, a service, and a communion”

It is now 336 years since De La Salle took theinitiative and set out on a new way of life. Hereached out to those who, like the half-dead

traveler, lay neglected and rejected at the sideof the road. He saw that the children of theworking class and the poor were neglected andrejected, without training or education. Heformed a group of laymen into a body ofteachers, and organized schools with a programthat assured effective and excellent educationfor the young, especially the poor. As an Instituteand as a Lasallian family, we continue to give to


1 See http://www.lasalle.org/en/resources/publications/

the Church and the world a spirituality that isaltogether original, one that is uniquely suitedfor people who are dedicated to Christianeducation.

Since the beginning of the Institute, it hasresponded boldly and creatively to the signs ofthe times to address forms of poverty throughthe educational works it has established.Throughout its history it has discerned oftenwhat is right and just. In the last 15 years, manyof our responses have been documented inBulletins 247 (The Rights of the Child), 248(Educational Innovations), 249 (Educating inJustice), and 253 (Children and Youth at Risk); andMEL Bulletins 7 (Priority of the Poor), and 20(Educational Service of the Poor).1 Today, morethan ever, we are called to make a qualitativeleap in the way we share the joy of the LasallianMission as a Gospel adventure. We do this in theface of striking forms of poverty that often haveat their root the commodification of both thehuman person and the earth we call ourcommon home.

As Lasallians, we have always consideredpoverty and its impact on young people. Youthare the most vulnerable, and have the leastchoice and capacity to defend themselves. Thereisn’t much they can do to help their families, norshould they have to. When they are first victimsof poverty we know this is not right and just.

3. “What we have seen and heard”

We know very well that nearly all possiblecauses and effects of poverty have an impact onthe lives of the young. Their lack of education,malnutrition, the violence they confront in theirown homes, child labor, diseases of all kinds, arecaused by poor infrastructures, unemployment,lack of basic services, inadequate income anddeteriorating environmental conditions. We seethat their sense of identity is under attack, from

pressures coming from people and nations withvested interests. Youth, especially the poor, areoften seen as objects to be manipulated andwith a price tag. One can often see that they arenot treated as persons but as bar-codedcommodities. Is this right and just?

a. Commodification of Migrants

One image of humanity that has shocked theworld earlier this year was that of a dead 3-year-old boy, Aylan Kurdi, lying face down in the surf

at one of Turkey's main tourist resorts. Thisimage once more put a human face on thedangers faced by hundreds of thousands ofdesperate people, especially the young, who risklife and limb to seek a new life beyond theircountry of origin. The migration crisis in Europe,that mirrors a phenomenon happening in manyparts of the world, has reached anunprecedented level moving Pope Francis to callon every Catholic parish and religiouscommunity in Europe to take in a refugee family.

The current migration crisis brought about by



brutal wars, dictatorships, religious extremism,the collapse of states such as Libya and Syria,environmental disasters and grinding povertyhas caused immense strain within theinternational community, especially in Europeand the developed countries. The focus of themedia has been on the European response tothis crisis. However, recent actions taken bysome countries to address this migration issuehighlight the increased dehumanization. We

have learned that a developed country hasmade an agreement with a third world countryto effectively outsource its migrant issue. In thiscase, the price tag that has been put on the livesof immigrants is $40 million in aid money thatthe developed country has traded for resettlingthem. By attaching a monetary value to thisprocess, both countries have effectivelycondoned a form of cross-bordercommodification. Such a transaction turns thelives of people into commodities to be tradedfor aid money. If adequate attention is not given

to this type of crossborder commodification thecrisis will continue to degrade the dignity ofthese migrants. Is this right and just?

b. Commodification of Urban Poor

Another reality is an increasing commodificationin the way poverty is represented and marketedas part of urban planning. Many cities are eagerto “beautify” their common spaces and movebeggars, street children, and other undesirablecitizens out of view in order to present afavorable image to tourists and potentialinvestors. Other urban planners draw attentionto marginalized people, social exclusion, ganglife, drug districts, slums and poverty-riddenurban areas as tourist destinations. They seeurban planning not with the eyes of a GoodSamaritan but through the eyes of the robbers.Turning an impoverished area into a touristattraction has its own dire consequences. Whoactually gains or benefits when social inequalitybecomes part of urban planning and a projectof potential investors? Is this right and just? Howcan we bring the mercy and compassion of theSamaritan to those who are excluded anddehumanized by market forces in oursurroundings? As Lasallian educators, what isour responsibility in these kinds of situations?

c. Commodification of Youth

In the last two decades, the youth market hasexpanded dramatically, in terms of both theirbuying power and their influence on parentalpurchasing behaviors. We are also witnessing alamentable process of commodification that ispromoted by advertisers and marketers whotreat the young as “saleable” objects. We see thisin the way that youth are exploited inadvertisements, in the proliferation of childpornography, child labor, organ and childtrafficking, and other forms of modern humanslavery. Indeed, poverty and commodification isa terrifying reality that upsets not only the social


order but also our sense of what it truly meansto be human. Is this right and just?

4. “The urgent challenge to protect our

common home”

Our Lasallian response must be right and just.Jesus’ parable was offered in response to thequestion, “And who is my neighbor?” Who then,today, is my neighbor? Who are my newneighbors? How can we bring the mercy andcompassion of the Samaritan to the young, thepoor, and the migrants who suffer thedemoralizing effects of poverty? As Lasalliancommunities, how do we respond?

We are all created in God’s image, called to livein community, with responsibilities for sharingresources and caring for creation. We have acommon project, to work toward the commongood, and we do this in our common home.When people are reduced to instruments forgain and enrichment, they are no longer agentsand authors of their own history. They lose theirinherent dignity in this spiral of de-humanization. The world is trapped in a death-dealing system that defies God’s gift of life andcreation, freely given to humanity to serve as itsresponsible stewards. It is in this context that,Pope Francis, in Laudato Si’ (13), reminds us that,

“The urgent challenge to protect our commonhome includes a concern to bring the wholehuman family together to seek a sustainable andintegral development, for we know that things canchange.”

Pope Francis is calling us into an urgent, globalmoral conversation. Inherent in that is a con-version and transformation at every individualand social level. Catholic social teachings onstewardship, solidarity, and sustainability alsoinvite us to act and advocate for those whoendure poverty, especially the young andmigrants. These are “our neighbors” with whomwe share this common home. With Pope Francis,we too know that things can change.

The challenge is to take on the adventure ofseeking sustainable and integral development.As Lasallians, we ask ourselves: Have political,social, and economic arrangements becomeends in themselves, instead of means to integraldevelopment? What is the impact of thesechanging arrangements on those mostimpacted today, particularly the young and themigrants? Are the effects of these changes rightand just?

5. “Those who instruct many in justice”

Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan is meant tostir our heart so that we, at last, see the aban-doned person at the side of the road to beembraced, as a neighbor. Investing in theintegral development and protection of youthand migrants then becomes a Christian andLasallian priority. We can no longer stepconveniently to one side once we see theimpact of commodification. When our mostvulnerable neighbors are sold and used, we arecompelled to act. We understand that ourresponse requires an integrated and holisticapproach supporting the communities in whichmigrants and youth live. We must be aware oftheir needs. We also recognize that there has tobe a participatory involvement that will not only



produce active citizens of the future, but alsoprovide sustainable solutions to the causes andeffects of poverty and migration.

We do this “together and by association” andwith radical availability. At the same time, wewelcome the insight of the 43rd General Chapterthat “the Institute does not presume that it alonehas an effective educational approach andstrategy to deal with present forms of poverty.This is why it considers it important to maintainrelations and collaborate with otherorganizations... ” Certainly, this calls for a newway of being in communion, a new way of beingChurch that can enrich our own understandingof our Lasallian vocation and mission.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament,and human history we see over and over againthat God’s people are on the move, fleeingoppression, war, enslavement, or othercalamities and we always see the living Godaccompanying the poor, the migrants, and theyoung. For us, there is no clearer teaching fromour faith tradition and ongoing Lasallian storythan that we respond in justice to the plight ofthe poor, the migrant, and the young througheducation. For over 330 years of this God-is-with-us-story, we have shared St. La Salle’s lovefor the young, especially the poor. Our century,like the 17th and 18th, also suffers fromindifference to those abandoned at the side ofthe road. Our challenge is to offer a radicalwelcome, the oil of mercy, compassion, andinclusion.

In Jesus, God knew what it meant to be amigrant and poor. Jesus gave us a blueprint inthe Parable of the Good Samaritan of what ourGospel adventure involves. We should not fearthe migrant or the poor. We can learn and beenriched by persons who are different to us. Infidelity to our Lasallian identity and ideals, wecan discern what is right and just.

“Those who instruct many in justiceshall shine like stars throughouteternity...”(Daniel 12:3, St. La Salle, Med. 208.2)


PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. John Baptist de La Salle heard the Gospel question, “Who is myneighbor?” in 17th and 18th century France and responded as far as hewas able and as God required of him. Who then, today, is my neighbor?How can we value our neighbor who has been devalued by society?

2. “School curricula are marked by their concern for the promotion ofjustice and peace, and the integrity of creation” (Rule, 17.1). How can weensure that our educational centers become a powerful instrument ofshowing mercy and compassion to our neighbor, and at the same timechallenge the unjust structures and policies that dehumanize the poor,migrants, and youth?

3. Pope Francis calls us to abandon the “economy of exclusion.” Thisencourages us to find space for treating our neighbor as a subject withdignity and inherent value rather than an object with a price tag. Howcan we practice a lifestyle of stewardship, solidarity, and sustainabilitytowards our neighbor and help re-order society so that it promotesinclusivity and integral development rather than prejudice, de-humanization, and exclusion? What can we do in the face of the crisis ofmigration in different parts of the world? What actions can we undertake“together and by association” with Lasallians, policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, etc. to advocate for a just distribution andshare of resources and inclusive growth on behalf of our neighbors?

4. In my own evangelical journey, which character do I identify with inthe Parable of the Good Samaritan? What invitations do I hear from theLord? What conversion is required of myself and within the Lasalliancommunity? St. La Salle wrote that, “God expects you to touch hearts”(Med. 139.3). As you meditate on the Parable of the Good Samaritan,what kind of Gospel adventure do you find yourself called to in order totouch hearts?

5. “The Institute’s primary concern is the educational needs of thosewhose dignity and basic rights are not recognized. By its mission, it seeksto make it possible for them to live with dignity as sons and daughtersof God” (Rule, 13). In my educational or religious community, what dowe propose to do as a concrete response to the appeal of Pope Francisfor every Catholic community to reach out in support of migrants?

November 29, 2015

Next number

2016-2017

“One Call, Many Voices”

Know more about the initiatives taken to respond to the poverties thatsurround us. Go to http://www.lasalle.org

Share your experiences and send them to [email protected]


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