Transformative Compassion
Michiel Peeters - “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” What must I do to live, not to survive barely, but to live genuinely, with a life that is so true that it does not end, that it does not die—as corresponds to my deep desire?
The “scholar of the law” asked this question to “test” Jesus. It is a good, profoundly human question, and it’s great that the scholar asked it of Jesus. If something presents itself as essential for life, we should examine it, with our most critical questions. “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answers, You know it already: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” To live, as opposed to barely surviving, you should depend consciously and freely on your origin and destiny.
Then you will have a true relationship with yourself, and this makes it possible to have a true relationship with your neighbor: “Do this and you will live.” Now the scribe did not want to appear to be someone who asked for the known; therefore, he said, Yes, but that is difficult.
How can I do this? And then Christ begins to speak… not about how to behave (as this parable is often interpreted), but about himself, about who he, Christ, is for us. On the question: “Who is my neighbor?”, the answer he gives with the parable gives, is: the Samaritan. “Who is my neighbor?” It is the stranger who, “moved with compassion at the sight” of a man who lies half-dead along the road of his life, stripped and beaten by robbers and left alone by those of whom he hoped for a help, “approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him.’” Who is the Good Samaritan? The Good Samaritan is Christ.
God has pitied us, pitied the fact that we are half-dead, left along the road of our lives. He approached us. He bent over us, he gave us comfort (which means: to make strong with a company), he bandaged us (made sure our wounds are forgiven, are helped to heal), he lifted on his animal, on himself, he carried us, and he took us to an inn, which is the company of the Church. Within that inn, he continues to care for us, for our hearts, reminding us what we deeply are.
God has become our neighbor so that we could inherit eternal life, true life. A neighbor who has come for us, who has been moved by us, who has come to stay with us, to accompany us, to help us go our road. Realizing this and experiencing it, it becomes possible to love God; it becomes easy to love God, and in this love, we can also love ourselves and others. “Go and do likewise.”
Changing ourselves and the world is only possible when we realize, again and again, more and more, what has happened to us. This is what gives energy. We are together to help one another in this pursuit of eternal life, of true life.
