Beautiful sacred music is available here. I sent it to my son John Paul Farahat who earned a doctorate in the arts of music from the University of Toronto in June this year...He agrees that it is great sacred music. Byzantine chants can be found in this Divine Liturgy (Russian melody) here , and the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Toronto (Homsy choir) here. A most beautiful sermon of St. John Chrysostom on the Resurrection of Christ is sung or read by the choir in the Byzantine Churches every Easter (Listen here).
The beauty of God has been seen in Jesus Christ "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:6).
"Jesus is a revelation. Jesus is a revolution" says the Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad. But what kind of revolution? "Jesus empties heaven and moves the [Divine presence] to be among us: Emmanuel." and continues "Is it possible that God makes such a radical move? I have a response here to our Muslim brothers who think it is impossible. For them God cannot descend from heaven without losing his honor and dignity." This was a homily by Fr. Boulad on Christmas in 2014 - More can be found here...
Now listen carefully because here Henri Boulad summarizes the Christian Mystery in as simple language as possible "If Jesus Christ is an illusion...If Christianity is a sheer mystification...If God did not come to us and did not descend from his heaven...If he did not take the radical and seemingly impossible leap of the incarnation, then he ceases being credible - he ceases being love - he ceases being God."
Let us reflect. Here is the message:
"The scandal of the Incarnation, which means that we cannot believe that God could debase himself , becomes the key and the supreme proof that this is the truth"
"But a God in heaven well served who looks to me and says 'You suffer. Have courage. Perhaps one day you will be with me in my heaven' is not God. A God who says 'Patience. I am fine here but you over there can suffer' is not God. This is the false God that we, often, figure that he sends us prophets from time to time to console us' . NO, NO. NO. This God who looks to me with a telescope is not my God. I do not want him."
"If there is a phenomenon of atheism today in the West as well as in Egypt, it is precisely because men say we are in fact better than God. The walk that I walk to help when I see a hungry person or a thirsty one or a person without faith, can't God do it? Has he no choice regarding his honor?"
"No. He did it. This is the supreme proof of the Christian Mystery. Do not look somewhere else. 'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' He descended. No more seventh heaven..."
"The only God I can believe, love and worship is the God Jesus Christ because he descended to me."
"'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' "
And the great preacher and Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad finished here his homily.
Now listen carefully because here Henri Boulad summarizes the Christian Mystery in as simple language as possible "If Jesus Christ is an illusion...If Christianity is a sheer mystification...If God did not come to us and did not descend from his heaven...If he did not take the radical and seemingly impossible leap of the incarnation, then he ceases being credible - he ceases being love - he ceases being God."
Let us reflect. Here is the message:
"The scandal of the Incarnation, which means that we cannot believe that God could debase himself , becomes the key and the supreme proof that this is the truth"
"But a God in heaven well served who looks to me and says 'You suffer. Have courage. Perhaps one day you will be with me in my heaven' is not God. A God who says 'Patience. I am fine here but you over there can suffer' is not God. This is the false God that we, often, figure that he sends us prophets from time to time to console us' . NO, NO. NO. This God who looks to me with a telescope is not my God. I do not want him."
"If there is a phenomenon of atheism today in the West as well as in Egypt, it is precisely because men say we are in fact better than God. The walk that I walk to help when I see a hungry person or a thirsty one or a person without faith, can't God do it? Has he no choice regarding his honor?"
"No. He did it. This is the supreme proof of the Christian Mystery. Do not look somewhere else. 'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' He descended. No more seventh heaven..."
"The only God I can believe, love and worship is the God Jesus Christ because he descended to me."
"'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' "
And the great preacher and Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad finished here his homily.
In his beautiful "Introduction to Christianity" Joseph Ratzinger (currently Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI) mentions the cosmos and the cosmic vision of the Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin...In his eschatological vision, the French Jesuit priest and scientist Teilhard de Chardin wrote his Mass of the Cosmos (see it here). Teilhard was a friend of the giant Jesuit Henri de Lubac whose "ressourcement" or "nouvelle théologie" gave rise to renewal in the Second Vatican Council and beyond it. In his "Introduction to Christianity" Joseph Ratzinger praised Teilhard. In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI cited Teilhard's vision of the cosmos as a "living host" (reported by NCR here).
Listen too to Bishop Robert Baron speaking about the Trinity here...He spoke about everything in the cosmos that mirrors the relational character of the Trinity in one God: The Father eternally loves the Son and the Son receives that love and returns to the Father, and the Holy Spirit of God binds the Father and the Son in their freedom and love - He goes on to surprise his listeners that, across the universe, subatomic particles communicate at long distances (The Quantum Entanglement) and great galaxies too gravitate to each other...
Fr. Boulad had spoken about the mystery of the Trinity (The communion of love) in 2003 here in Toronto - Here...
The greatest beauty in God's creation is found in Mary mother of Christ. On Monday December 9, 2019 the "Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the virgin Mary" was celebrated in many countries of the world - See here the Mass celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio representing the Holy Father in Rome. At St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the 2019 Christmas Midnight Mass was presided over by Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York (see the Mass here)...In his homily, the Cardinal Archbishop spoke about the silent night and the darkness in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. He compared it to the darkness that kids feel when their parents put them to bed at night. It is fear for which they call on their parents to come and hug them before they sleep at night...And today there is much threat of war which engulfs us people with fear. But as Jesus slept on Mary's arm, we too can feel protected by her motherhood...The choir sang the Nicene Creed in Latin, and The Lord's Prayer too was sung in Latin...So much memories of the old Tradition...It is the same in the Greek churches which keep the language, incense, and signs as they have been for centuries...Listen too to Bishop Robert Baron speaking about the Trinity here...He spoke about everything in the cosmos that mirrors the relational character of the Trinity in one God: The Father eternally loves the Son and the Son receives that love and returns to the Father, and the Holy Spirit of God binds the Father and the Son in their freedom and love - He goes on to surprise his listeners that, across the universe, subatomic particles communicate at long distances (The Quantum Entanglement) and great galaxies too gravitate to each other...
Fr. Boulad had spoken about the mystery of the Trinity (The communion of love) in 2003 here in Toronto - Here...
More lessons on the beauty of God can be found in the story of "The Tower of Babel" as explained in Genesis 11 in just a few verses. I asked a few scholars about it. The renowned Biblical scholar Msgr. Robert Nusca, Pastor of Holy Rosary parish in Toronto advised me to see Henri de Lubac's The Drama of Atheist Humanism, and his comments on the Tower of Babel on pg. 320 and following. In the book, Henri de Lubac critiques the excesses of neo-liberalism and socialism especially during the communist era of the USSR inspired by the dictatorship of materialism. It is also found in the philosophy of Nietzsche (1844–1900) claiming the "death of God". In a homily on the meaning of "The Tower of Babel" in 2012, Pope Benedict XVI further said "The narrative of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, which we heard in the First Reading (cf. Acts 2:1-11), contains against the background of one of the great frescoes we find at the beginning of the Old Testament: the ancient history of the construction of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). But what is Babel? It is the description of a kingdom in which men had concentrated so much power that they thought they no longer needed to rely on a distant God and that they were powerful enough to be able to build a way to heaven by themselves in order to open its gates and usurp God’s place." More can be found on the Vatican website here...
The above-mentioned scholars opened much-needed political discussions and reports...In view of the light thrown by the late Christian philosopher René Girard about the mechanisms of mimetic desire, and the scapegoat, the political situation and strategies of today's conflicts can be analyzed - See what Bishop Barron said recently about Girard here. See too how Girard critiqued Freud in his psychoanalysis found in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy here. Girard, who was appointed a member of the renowned Académie française, was discussed in many conferences (here for example) and his books include the much-discussed Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World (1978) and I See Satan Fall Like Lightning (2001)...
Is there any Peace with the New Kings of the Earth ? The question is asked frequently in the wake of a few reports. First, see here a recent episode on October 7, 2019 of Uncommon Knowledge, where Peter Robinson was joined by author and columnist Douglas Murray to discuss his new book The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity. Murray examines the most divisive issues today, including sexuality, gender, and technology, and how new culture wars are playing out everywhere in the name of social justice, identity politics, and intersectionality. Is European culture and society in a death spiral caused by immigration and assimilation? Robinson and Murray also discuss the roles that Brexit and the rise of populism in European politics play in writing immigration laws across the European Union. Second, CNBC published this report on December 4 regarding the new bold move by Russia and China to face up to the threat of the West and contain it. Russia will supply China with Natural Gas while China will pass its new technology to Russia...A report dated May 21, 2019 in "The Council on Foreign Relations" brings to our attention China's so-called "BRI" that underlies China's rise in military and economic power with advanced technology (Read the full article here). The Chinese have already established markets in Asia, Africa, and Europe. On December 27, 2019, Reuters reported the following: "Iran, China and Russia began joint naval drills on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, in what Moscow said was an unprecedented exercise in naval cooperation and training." (See full report here). President Donald Trump last year pulled the United States out of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy. "The Gulf is particularly sensitive because it connects to the Strait of Hormuz through which about one-fifth of the world's oil passes. Since May, there's been trouble in the Gulf. The US reports Iran has attacked six oil tankers and downed a US drone. It also sent cruise missiles and drones to attack a Saudi oil field and seized control of a vessel flying a UK flag. The four-day drill comes as Tehran is seeking to boost its military cooperation with Beijing and Moscow in the face of economic sanctions from Washington. "The fact that we are now hosting these powers (Russia and China) means that our relations have reached a significant point, and god-willing it will have global outcomes and its message is peace and friendship in the light of unity and responsible collective cooperation," Iranian deputy navy commander Gen. Gholam Reza Than said...." (reported in CBN News here). On December 31, 2019, in response to U.S. airstrikes this week that killed 25 fighters from an Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq, Shiite Iraqi protesters threw bombs on the American embassy in Baghdad (reported here). In their challenge to the military and economic supremacy of America, the powers of Russia, China, and Iran may have started a new war against American interests in war-torn Middle East. Hizbullah is Iran's powerful military militia which has exercised its power in Syria and Lebanon. Turkey's military has already gone into North Syria which caused much damages to life there and local population had to flee the area to Iraq...Christians lost many souls as the Turkish military targeted them - a reminder of the Armenian Genocide in WWI.
When it comes to new technologies, artificial intelligence, and the human mind, I do remember one thesis that I developed in my Master's graduate studies in Information Systems as it addresses advanced complex technology and compares it against the human complex mind - The human mind is much more beautiful compared to any other species...See the discussion here.
In a 2018 public conversation between Professor William Lane Craig; an outstanding representative of America's Christian Protestant Tradition, and Bishop Robert Barron on the Catholic side, they both agreed on the priorities that face Christianity today in the fight waged by materialism and consumerism...The work by Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer was praised for his knowledge in both philosophy and science. Bishop Barron further showed the beauty of much of Christianity's tradition from the Fathers of the Eastern Churches and the more elaborate Roman Catholic Cathedrals and statues as well as the sacraments of the Church (see the conversation here).
On beauty of God's creation see Bishop Barron's speech to crowds here. He spoke about harmony and splendour in St. Thomas Aquinas, Paul Claudel, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and John Henri Newman. For the beauty of God's creation in the dark cosmos, see this NOVA Documentary HD 2019 - Quantum Riddle in the Universe (here) where the presentation released in January 2019 shows what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance,” but today quantum entanglement is poised to revolutionize technology from computers to cryptography. Physicists have gradually become convinced that the phenomenon—two subatomic particles that mirror changes in each other instantaneously over any distance—is real. But a few doubts remain. NOVA follows a ground-breaking experiment in the Canary Islands to use quasars at opposite ends of the universe to once and for all settle remaining questions.
More in space discoveries has been reported this year: NASA's Rover arrived at Mars and took pictures of the "Red Planet". A report on NASA's Mars Exploration Program dated November 12 2019 stated the following: "Scientists have discovered a "survivalist" planet that shouldn't exist orbiting a pulsating star. Using astroseismology data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, a team of researchers studying the red giant stars HD 212771 and HD 203949 detected oscillations, which are "gentle pulsations at the surfaces of stars," lead author Tiago Campante of the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) and Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, told Space.com. This is actually the first time that oscillations have been found by TESS in stars that host exoplanets. And, because these stars have orbiting exoplanets, the investigation was able to go even deeper." (See more here). On December 16, 2019, Space.com reported that, according to NASA, "Scientists have released a new global map showing water ice that is as little as 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) below the Red Planet's surface. With data in hand, the research team located at least one promising landing spot for future astronaut missions: a big zone in the northern hemisphere's Arcadia Planitia. This area has a lot of water ice close to the surface and is in the ideal location for a human Mars mission, because it is in a temperate, midlatitude region with plenty of sunlight, the research team wrote in a new study describing the findings."(See the full report here). On December 30, 2019, Space.com published a report titled "The Biggest Black Hole Findings in 2019" - Based on an earlier report in LiveScience.com, Einstein's General Theory of Relativity is challenged by scientists at Theiss Research in California today. You may wish to read it here.
In July 2019, I was contacted by Mrs. Maggie Ciskanik; MS who is a Senior Writer associated with the Jesuit scientist Fr. Robert Spitzer (https://magiscenter.com/) her
Great resources for learning more about quantum theory (and its relationship to a Trinitarian God)
There is an enormous corpus of talks, articles, commentaries, and youtube presentations focusing on one of the strangest discoveries of the 20th century: quantum mechanics and its startling attendant features, the principles of uncertainty and superposition. When you consult the resources identified in this post by Mr. George Farahat, be prepared to increase your understanding of how quantum mechanics has changed our understanding of reality, and how it relates to theology.
Two phenomenal lectures by two outstanding professors in two countries have enlightened research about the vast cosmos we live in and its quantum fields that penetrate every creature on earth.
The first is a lecture given by Professor Leo Kowenhoven at Delft University in the Netherlands, 2015 (here). In his talk, Professor Kowenhoven shows how nature itself works through quantum processes. He uses the example of a plant leaf which takes the light of the Sun. Through quantum superposition, electrons find a way to efficiently bind to the oxygen molecule, a process essential for human life. He goes on to explain how “qbits” are necessary in building quantum computers and reveals that he and his team have already made these “quantum bits” in the lab. Some of the most interesting ideas come near the end of the talk (starting around the 11th minute) when he lists the big challenges that super quantum computers can help solve, such as: more efficient energy use and storage, better airplane design, optimization for robotics, machine learning, and the use of nanotechnology in healthcare.
The second lecture, “The Real Building Blocks of the Universe” was given by Professor David Tong at Cambridge University in 2017. In a brilliant summary of quantum theory, he reveals that there are 16 “fields” that interact in a “harmonious dance.” Along the way, Tong also discusses Einstein's Theory of General Relativity (space-time flow), J. J. Thomson's discovery of the electron, Ernest Rutherford's model of the atom (a nucleus made of protons and neutrons with the lighter electrons moving around it), Faraday's discovery of electromagnetism, James Clerk Maxwell's work, Schrodinger's Wave-Particle Equation, Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty, and the thought-experiments of Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen.
Black holes and quantum theory
A great explanation of black holes, by a panel of experts found in this 2015 World Science Festival presentation, was delivered in the presence of the late British physicist and black hole expert, Professor Stephen Hawking. The presentation also explains the relationship between black holes and quantum theory.
Astonishment at quantum behaviour
In 1982, Alain Aspect and his team were able to experimentally prove that two photons emitted from the same atom will still be in contact tens of miles away. The reader may wish to listen to his lecture here, animated by his love for and “astonishment at” quantum behaviour.
Quantum theory and its relationship to a Trinitarian God
In the printed word, much of the material written by Sir John Polkinghorne, retired professor of mathematical physics at Cambridge University, is very informative and insightful. In one of his latest books, “Quantum Physics and Theology” (2008), he comments on how “relationship” is being discovered even at the subnuclear level:
“Quantum theory brought to light a remarkable form of entanglement between subatomic particles that have once interacted with each other (the so-called EPR effect), which implies that they remain effectively a single system however far they may subsequently separate spatially—a counterintuitive togetherness-in-separation that has been abundantly confirmed experimentally as a property of nature. The physical world looks more and more like a universe that would be the fitting creation of the trinitarian God, the One whose deepest reality is relational.” -Sir John Polkinghorne
Dr. Stephen Barr has written extensively on the relationship of quantum physics and theology as well. (See, for example, his article in First Things here).
What can we conclude?
The above resources reveal and help explain the 2 most important observations in quantum physics:
1. The probabilistic nature of particles which yields the Uncertainty Principle
2. The communication between particles at long distances (quantum entanglement)
From 2 above, we can say that everything must be in a relationship. In Christianity, the concept that God is relatedness or relational is found not only in Holy Scriptures (see for example 1 John 4:8; John 10:30; Col 1:15-19; Phil 2: 6-11; John 15), but also in doctors of the Church like St. Thomas Aquinas and, in our days, Bishop of Rome Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.
If this is true, then we can say that the cosmos is signed by the stamp of the Triune God of Christians.
George Farahat holds a Masters degree in Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering. He is a retired systems analyst who now uses his time to pursue numerous interests which include Biblical theology, anthropology, history of civilizations, and information technology. He regularly shares his insights on his blogspot Today’s Questions. The original post can be found here.
There is so much spiritual beauty uttered by great mystics and saints. The reader is invited to read Saint Bernard of Clairvaux on the Four Loves here and to listen to the words of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta in an interview on Irish TV in 1974 here.As Msgr. Nusca and Fr. Henri Boulad are quite active, so are Fr. Daniel Callam, CSB (my spiritual director with whom I am in constant contact) and other highly-active priests too among whom I appreciate the work of Fr. Rafic Greiche; pastor of St. Cyril's Greek Catholic parish in Heliopolis, Egypt who visited Canada earlier in 2019 but did not have a chance to come to Toronto. A close friend, he called me from Montreal at the residence of one of my beloved cousins.
On Christmas Eve, my wife and I attended the Divine Liturgy at the Byzantine Cathedral of the Transfiguration celebrated by the Greek Melkite Catholic community in Toronto with Rev. Msgr. Makarios Wehbi and his assistant priest Fr. Michel Chalhoub, who were helped by Fr. Youhanna Hanna in giving the Eucharist. The hymns were sung by the renowned Homsy choir. We met there many beloved friends and exchanged with them the kiss of the peace of Christ. Msgr. Wehbi gave a neat sermon citing these verses from the Gospel's reading according to Saint Luke "And the angel said to them, 'Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2:10-14). In his homily, Msgr. Wehbi showed how God's love came to earth in a manger or rather a cave where Jesus was born in a little town called Bethlehem away from the great cities and in his coming, our Savior brought with him true peace on earth. He then asked the Savior to bring again his peace to the troubled Middle East...And I recalled "Plato's Cave" where humanity is trapped in its darkness awaiting for the light of Christ to see and be set free...It was in one of the talks given by Fr. Georges Farah; MSP at Jesus the King parish based on his doctoral studies and teaching in philosophy...
At Jesus the King, the first Arab Council of the Knights of Columbus was established some 9 year ago by Fr. Georges Farah. The PGK of the Council, whose Jerusalem Students initiative earned him an award from Supreme Council, has been named Director of Christian Relief Refugees by the District Council - The website can be found here. Jerusalem Students beautiful website can be found here.
On December 29, I read a beautiful article by Rev. Jerry Pokorsky about "The God of Justice and of Mercy" in "The Catholic Thing" here. The picture attached to it is that of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It reminded me by a theological interpretation of the Parable given by Fr. Georges Farah here.
2) On Violence and Terrorism:
As radical Islam finds its way into Western Europe, it does not spare Africa... On December 30, 2019, Pope Francis addressed the situation after a bombing in Somalia's capital by al-Shabaab radical Islamic organization caused many lost lives and injured more - See what he said here...On the same day, in response to Somalia's authorities, forces from the United States made an air strike that bombed places taken by al-Shabaab - See a report here.
The above reminds us by the Islamic terrorist attack of 9/11 in 2001 in which airplanes were hijacked by al-Qaeda masterminds and passed through the two grand towers in New York killing all the passengers and thousands on ground (see this YouTube video). It also reminds us of the address given by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2006 to his students at the University of Regensburg. There the German mind spoke of faith, reason and modernity and compared it to Islamic thought particularly in a conversation during the Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1394 -1402 between the Byzantine Christian emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both. The Pope's remarks had a wild reaction in Islamic countries especially by the Grand Imam of al-Azhar who cut off the dialogue with the Holy See...(See the Address here). The dialogue was only continued after Pope Francis invited the Grand Imam to visit him in the Vatican...
May the Lord bless everyone in the new year to bring about a true peace of non-violence and May He sooth the wounds of the Church as the Good Samaritan did. May the Lord bless all Christian missionaries, help persecuted ones and revitalize dormant Christians!
On the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a great homily by Bishop Robert Barron can be watched here...
See also my post here about the way St. Augustine interpreted the Parable of the Good Samaritan:
St. Augustine gave us an interpretation which you can read here. Augustine interpreted the parable allegorically in terms of the providential salvation plan in which the robbed man represents Adam and his offspring, the robbers represent Satan and his angels who wounded the man and left him half dead, Christ is the Samaritan who saves man from his fall and eternal death and the Church is the hotel that ministers to man in her teachings and the sacraments received from Christ thus opening the gates of heaven. Through Christ, the fear of hell was changed to the hope in heaven...
But why does Christ use a Samaritan as an example to teach the Jews? The Samaritans were for long considered enemies of the Jews since, according to Jewish tradition, the Samaritans accepted the Pagan deities after the Babylonian conquest of the Holy Land. Now we can appreciate the contrast intended by Christ.
Back to the parable, we note in the sacred text how the lawyer puts Christ to the test and the way of Christ answering a question with a question like the teachers of Israel. In an article in Al-Macarrat, December 2010, Mona Ebeid, PhD., speaks of Luke's three-dimensions structure of the above parable. For Jews, she writes, the Samaritan was considered a man who is: 1. stranger; 2. heretic (not in the right faith); 3. harmful. This is why mentioning a Samaritan for a Jew was considered an insult. The parable starts with a three-pronged criminal act: 1. The robbers strip the man; 2. They beat him; 3. They leave him half-dead. The next section shows three persons who happen to see the mortally wounded man by coincidence: 1. A priest; 2. A Levite; 3. A Samaritan. Yet, in a very strong reaction, the priest and levite both escape the man fearing that they would become impure if they touch him. They take the opposite road while when a travelling Samaritan "saw him he had compassion." Luke explains in three steps how the Samaritan treated the wounded man with compassion: Not knowing the identity of the wounded man, the Samaritan first of all: 1. went to him; 2. bound up his wounds; 3. poured oil and wine on his wounds as a medicine. Second: 1. set this patient on his own beast; 2. took him to an inn; 3. took care of the stranger patient staying over night with him. And third, on the next day, he took out two denarii; 2. gave them to the innkeeper; 3. asked the innkeeper to take care of this patient until he comes back. The Samaritan promised to pay whatever more money the innkeeper would have to spend.
At the end, Jesus returns back the question, like a rabbi, with a deeper question to the lawyer who knows the Law! Which of these three proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?'And the lawyer ignores the word Samaritan again fearing for contradicting the rules of division of Jews against non-Jews. The lawyer only answers with the ambiguous words 'The one who showed mercy on him.' And Jesus respecting the lawyer's fear said to him, 'Go and do likewise' and did not condemn him.
Since we all are on a journey in this life, the entire parable is about risking myself to save another who is in need. The road from Jerusalem to Jericho is a "road of blood." I cannot travel it alone! I need the others and they also need me. I see people who risk their savings to win a lottery or invest in the stock market, but how many risk their savings to help build the lives of others or to help others who are addicted to sexual pleasure or those addicted to drugs? Building churches is secondary to building the community of families. Everyone in this world needs to reassess his priorities to contribute in saving people he knows. A good example is "Physicians without borders" - an international organization of doctors who volunteer to save people caught in tragic wars.
I am of the opinion that Jesus reverses the entire priority of loving God first then loving your neighbor; for God is here in this neighbor. Second, it is clear that the Samaritan, the enemy, is closer to God than the practicing Jew of his time or any one who claims to be close to God. The teaching of Christ "Love your enemies" makes sense now; for true Christians have no enemy. A true Christian loves everyone as he loves himself. By loving himself in the proper way he goes out of himself (exit) and there he finds the other - every other whom he meets anywhere he happens to be. And he loves the other as much as he has loved himself. Only then he discovers God who loved all humans created in his image since the beginning.
Personal Notes:
Since I was in the womb of my mother, I received heaven's blessings (more here)...So much did my parents sacrifice for me that I can only be grateful to God for them. Since my marriage to my wife, I have been blessed by her unceasing help and sacrifice for me. With me, she raised three children who today successfully pursue their professional careers in different disciplines and are morally upright. My wife (and my children too) suffered greatly and supported me in all of my complex medical surgeries and problems until today (read me here and here)...I cannot deny the help, both in medical-health-care and spiritual prayers that I received from our extended families in Canada, Egypt, and France.
