Each year, our Diocesan Ministries Appeal has a theme that is meant to emphasize the connection between the work of the Appeal and our shared responsibility to live the Gospel message of charity, especially to those in need. I think this year’s theme – Be A Good Samaritan – perfectly encapsulates that idea.
We have all heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37), and perhaps we have heard it so often that its impact could be unintentionally dulled through repetition. Even so, I ask you to join me in reflecting on it again because the story, while familiar, is both timeless and timely.
Remember first that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is told in response to a question from a ‘scholar of the law’ who asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus begins the parable by painting a picture of a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by the side of the road. He was not simply confronted by a nervous pickpocket or a beggar asking for alms. These robbers were ruthless. It was a scene of sudden, shocking, and extreme violence. It is important to reflect on that, given that what happens next in the parable could not be more opposite.
After the bloody confrontation, a priest walks by and sees the broken body in front of him. His response was not one of action. His response was deliberate passivity to the scene in front of him. He did not offer help or even speak any words of comfort. Instead, he crossed the road and continued on his way. A Levite came up to the man, and he also took no action, offered no assistance, crossed the road, and continued on his way. Neither the priest nor the Levite were blind to the man. They saw him – and chose to ignore his suffering. But their apathy did not erase the reality of the battered man’s desperate plight.
Another man traveling on the road – a Samaritan – encountered the victim. Instead of turning away from such an awful scene, he was “moved with compassion at the sight,” unlike the priest and Levite. Also, unlike the other two men, he took action. He went right up to the victim and cleaned and bandaged his wounds, physically lifted him up on his animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. He even paid for his care at the inn until he was healed.
Jesus was clearly making the point that our neighbors are often people who are hurting, wounded, and suffering, and need our tender, loving care. Sometimes the pain of our neighbors is physical, sometimes it is situational, sometimes it is emotional. But it is always a wound that needs our attention, not our apathy. Crossing to the other side of the road is not the path to choose.
In this parable, Jesus was not being subtle in emphasizing that our neighbors are everyone in the human family. In biblical times, a Samaritan was someone who was despised and considered untrustworthy. They were untouchables, shunned by society and to be avoided at all costs. Yet it was this pariah, this outcast, who showed love and compassion to a man who was likely taught to look down on him. It was the Samaritan who was the model to emulate. For people at that time to hear of a Samaritan in such a positive light must have been shocking. It was Jesus’ way of teaching us all that the stranger, the passerby, – the anonymous person – is our neighbor, and we must love our neighbors as ourselves.
The goal of our Diocesan Ministries Appeal is to serve our neighbors by helping to fund important ministries and programs throughout our Diocese of Paterson. I just recently blessed the newly renovated Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, which received $600,000 from the Appeal to help toward these efforts. The interior has been reconfigured to provide additional aisles for food and clothing. It has a space for guests to speak with social workers to address emergency needs. There are classrooms for English as a Second Language courses and computer classes so clients can enhance their skills and future opportunities. Your support of the Appeal is helping your neighbors in need.
Who are some other neighbors you help when you support the Diocesan Ministries Appeal?
They are veterans facing homelessness. They are adults with disabilities living in our group homes and being shown dignity and respect. They are shut-ins being helped through our Meals on Wheels program. They are men and women hoping for a second chance at life through our programs that address addictions and substance abuse. In fact, there are dozens of unique Catholic Charities programs and ministries that receive support from the Diocesan Ministries Appeal each year with your support.
The Appeal also funds seminarian education so those men in formation for priesthood can focus solely on their studies and on their spiritual, pastoral, and human development. The Appeal assists inner-city Catholic education as well as senior priests’ healthcare needs, helping to support Nazareth Village, the residence for retired diocesan priests in Chester.
Your gift to the Appeal negates the passivity of the priest and Levite in the parable. Through your affirmative response and generosity, you are “taking action” as a modern-day Good Samaritan. You take to heart the words of Jesus at the end of the parable when he says, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37). Your support of the Appeal helps to bring compassion and comfort to the wounded person on the side of the road who is in need. You live out your faith in concrete ways and are a priceless gift to the Lord and his people. I am grateful for your generosity, and may God bless you always!
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
The Diocesan Ministries Appeal 2026: ‘Be a Good Samaritan’ #Catholic –
Each year, our Diocesan Ministries Appeal has a theme that is meant to emphasize the connection between the work of the Appeal and our shared responsibility to live the Gospel message of charity, especially to those in need. I think this year’s theme – Be A Good Samaritan – perfectly encapsulates that idea.
We have all heard the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37), and perhaps we have heard it so often that its impact could be unintentionally dulled through repetition. Even so, I ask you to join me in reflecting on it again because the story, while familiar, is both timeless and timely.
Remember first that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is told in response to a question from a ‘scholar of the law’ who asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus begins the parable by painting a picture of a man who was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by the side of the road. He was not simply confronted by a nervous pickpocket or a beggar asking for alms. These robbers were ruthless. It was a scene of sudden, shocking, and extreme violence. It is important to reflect on that, given that what happens next in the parable could not be more opposite.
After the bloody confrontation, a priest walks by and sees the broken body in front of him. His response was not one of action. His response was deliberate passivity to the scene in front of him. He did not offer help or even speak any words of comfort. Instead, he crossed the road and continued on his way. A Levite came up to the man, and he also took no action, offered no assistance, crossed the road, and continued on his way. Neither the priest nor the Levite were blind to the man. They saw him – and chose to ignore his suffering. But their apathy did not erase the reality of the battered man’s desperate plight.
Another man traveling on the road – a Samaritan – encountered the victim. Instead of turning away from such an awful scene, he was “moved with compassion at the sight,” unlike the priest and Levite. Also, unlike the other two men, he took action. He went right up to the victim and cleaned and bandaged his wounds, physically lifted him up on his animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. He even paid for his care at the inn until he was healed.
Jesus was clearly making the point that our neighbors are often people who are hurting, wounded, and suffering, and need our tender, loving care. Sometimes the pain of our neighbors is physical, sometimes it is situational, sometimes it is emotional. But it is always a wound that needs our attention, not our apathy. Crossing to the other side of the road is not the path to choose.
In this parable, Jesus was not being subtle in emphasizing that our neighbors are everyone in the human family. In biblical times, a Samaritan was someone who was despised and considered untrustworthy. They were untouchables, shunned by society and to be avoided at all costs. Yet it was this pariah, this outcast, who showed love and compassion to a man who was likely taught to look down on him. It was the Samaritan who was the model to emulate. For people at that time to hear of a Samaritan in such a positive light must have been shocking. It was Jesus’ way of teaching us all that the stranger, the passerby, – the anonymous person – is our neighbor, and we must love our neighbors as ourselves.
The goal of our Diocesan Ministries Appeal is to serve our neighbors by helping to fund important ministries and programs throughout our Diocese of Paterson. I just recently blessed the newly renovated Father English Food Pantry in Paterson, which received $600,000 from the Appeal to help toward these efforts. The interior has been reconfigured to provide additional aisles for food and clothing. It has a space for guests to speak with social workers to address emergency needs. There are classrooms for English as a Second Language courses and computer classes so clients can enhance their skills and future opportunities. Your support of the Appeal is helping your neighbors in need.
Who are some other neighbors you help when you support the Diocesan Ministries Appeal?
They are veterans facing homelessness. They are adults with disabilities living in our group homes and being shown dignity and respect. They are shut-ins being helped through our Meals on Wheels program. They are men and women hoping for a second chance at life through our programs that address addictions and substance abuse. In fact, there are dozens of unique Catholic Charities programs and ministries that receive support from the Diocesan Ministries Appeal each year with your support.
The Appeal also funds seminarian education so those men in formation for priesthood can focus solely on their studies and on their spiritual, pastoral, and human development. The Appeal assists inner-city Catholic education as well as senior priests’ healthcare needs, helping to support Nazareth Village, the residence for retired diocesan priests in Chester.
Your gift to the Appeal negates the passivity of the priest and Levite in the parable. Through your affirmative response and generosity, you are “taking action” as a modern-day Good Samaritan. You take to heart the words of Jesus at the end of the parable when he says, “Go and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37). Your support of the Appeal helps to bring compassion and comfort to the wounded person on the side of the road who is in need. You live out your faith in concrete ways and are a priceless gift to the Lord and his people. I am grateful for your generosity, and may God bless you always!
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.