Sunday Reflection by Ben Harnwell
“But a Samaritan…was moved with pity.” [Lk 10:33]
Our political leaders (and even the Church itself!) when justifying the welfare state will often cite the parable of the Good Samaritan.
I would rather suggest instead that Christ was telling us that to inherit eternal life *we* must bandage wounds.
*We* must take the robbed to the inn.
*We* must take out two denarii, and repay whatever more is spent.
Jesus says nothing about the involuntary delegating to State agents, via taxation, compassion executed only notionally in our name.
When the State confiscates our income (even to do “good things”!), it takes from us the resources we could have voluntarily used to do that good — depriving us of the potential treasure in heaven we could have earned.
The bible also says
The poor will always be with us….