Week of August 30, 2026

13th Sunday after Trinity Sunday

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

The Gospel for this weekend is well-known - the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us that love of neighbor begins by seeing the person before us as a person of God-given dignity. The Samaritan does not encounter a problem to be solved or a project to be managed. He encounters a wounded human being. Before he offers oil, wine, transportation, or money, he draws near. Christian mercy begins there: not with what we can do for someone, but with the recognition that the person before us is already worthy of respect, compassion, and love.
Even our desire to help can become distorted when we begin to imagine ourselves as the ones who will “save” another person. We may decide that we know what is best for them, speak for them rather than listen to them, or attempt to rescue them even from choices we do not understand. In doing so, we can unintentionally reduce a person to their wounds, their poverty, their addiction, their mistakes, or their need. Genuine compassion does not place us above another. It stands beside them. It asks what they need, listens to their voice, and respects that they remain a person with agency and dignity even when their life is difficult.
Jesus ends the parable by telling us, “Go and do likewise.” That command calls us not simply to perform acts of charity, but to become neighbors. Sometimes that means giving generously, sometimes advocating for another, and sometimes simply remaining present and listening. Whatever form our service takes, it must never forget that the person we are helping is not beneath us and does not belong to us. Christian service is at its best when it recognizes Christ in the other and seeks not to control or rescue, but to love.

Peace, 
Rev. Ben