The Good Samaritan: Homeless and Immigrants - July 13, 2025

Recently, my family and I visited the Boston Common and Public Garden, where we noticed a stone monument not far from the duck island. It’s a large pillar, on top of which is a sculpture of a bearded man raising up a slumping, half-naked figure. I later learned that this is called the Good Samaritan Monument, and it’s the oldest monument in the Public Garden.

The Good Samaritan story is perhaps one of Jesus’ best-known and best-loved parables. It’s become part of common parlance. So-called ‘Good Samaritan Laws’ protect physicians and others from being sued if we try to help unconscious strangers in an emergency. Or perhaps you’ve seen posters for ‘Samaritans’ on bridges or near train tracks; the Samaritans staff a suicide hotline, providing life-saving emotional help to strangers.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is famous, but we often forget its Biblical context. It’s worth remembering the conversation just before and after the parable. A scholar of the law comes to Jesus and asks “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the MOST important question of all.

Jesus, what should I do to go to Heaven? Jesus puts the question back to him: well, what do you think? and the scholar responds with the 2 Greatest Commandments: Love God with your whole heart, and Love neighbor – as yourself. Jesus replies "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."

[Then we read:] But because he wished to justify himself, [the scholar] said to Jesus," And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus answers this question with his parable of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite walk on the opposite side past this stricken man, whereas a foreigner “is moved with compassion”, he stoops down, bathes his wounds, puts him on his own animal, and pays for further care at a nearby inn.

Jesus concludes his parable with a question: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" [The scholar] answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." And Jesus says: Go and do likewise.

So the parable is an answer to the question: who is my neighbor? The answer: Every person in need is our neighbor. Every time I walk inside my place of work, Mass General Hospital, I can see words from its founding document etched in the stone wall: [quote] “When in distress, every man becomes our neighbor".

This message is the core of the Gospel. We see it again in Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats, at the final judgment. Jesus separates the sheep and goats – he designates people for Heaven or Hell – based on how they treated those in need. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” Etc.

All humans are beloved children of God – but the vulnerable and needy most of all. We all intuit this – it’s like our First Reading from Deuteronomy says, a law not far up in the sky, but written on our hearts.

Perhaps you’re thinking: sure, this sounds like nice, basic theology deacon – yes, we know we’re supposed to love the needy. But what does this mean for my life?

First of all, certainly you should take care of your family and friends, to fulfill the Commandment of love of neighbor. Parents feed the hungry and clothe the naked when they take care little children. Adult children do the same when they care for ageing parents.

But I think Jesus is asking us to go further – to prioritize those that we may not have a natural affinity for. To love ‘the other’, the type of person that we tend to overlook, or even be repulsed by. The Samaritans typically hated the Jews, and vis versa.

I’d like to focus on two groups: the homeless and immigrants. People who are in our midst, but we often overlook, perhaps simply because we’re not sure how to help.

I’m going to take an informal poll here… Please raise your hand if sometime this week you encountered someone who seemed to be homeless, perhaps asking for money.

OK – most of you.

Ok, now: please raise your hand if you felt awkward about what to do when you encountered this person?

My hand is up too.

I admit I usually feel ambivalent. On the one hand, I don’t want to be like the priest and Levite of today’s Gospel, who keep their distance from this ‘unclean’ man and walk by. But on the other, I worry that if I give this homeless person cash that I might be feeding a dangerous addiction or reinforcing negative behavior.

So in prepping for this homily, I phoned a friend: a physician who runs the ‘street team’ of  Boston Healthcare for the Homeless (a group started by a good Catholic and Third Order Franciscan named Barbara McInnis); this physician has dedicated his professional life to the homeless.

His first suggestion is that we should treat each person with dignity. Our homeless brothers and sisters are constantly being looked down on, being treated as invisible or as pests. My wife has worked with a man who was formerly homeless: he said this was the worst part: being treated as less than human. Let’s not judge, but treat them with mercy. Maybe their parents abused them; maybe they hate themselves for choices they’ve made.

So if someone asks for money, at least we can treat them as a person and acknowledge their existence. Maybe we can say: ‘Sorry, I don’t have any money, but I hope you have a good day’ or ‘God bless you’… . More concretely, you could stock your car or your backpack with extra granola bars or bottles of water or Dunkin Donuts gift cards or prayer cards, and give these out. You can involve your kids. The other day, my son said, ‘Dad, did you see that man lying near the garbage bags? We should give him a Dunkin Donuts card!’ And so I stopped the car and we both got out, and he gave him the gift card. From the mouth of babes… Or maybe, if you have the time, you could offer to buy the person some food at a nearby store. Treat them as Jesus would, who ate with tax collectors and sinners – the outcasts of that time.

If you see a homeless person regularly on your commute, you can ask their name. Treat them as a child of God… for our Heavenly Father calls them each by name. Earlier today, I introduced myself to a Haitian man named X, begging on the side of the road. I gave him a Dunkin Donuts card, and he said 'God Bless you.' This is a powerful prayer - God listens particularly to the prayer of the poor.

On a practical note… if you see someone collapsed on the ground or slouched over on a bench… maybe you can at least try to see if they’re breathing. How many people have died from opioid overdose, who could have been saved if a passerby took some notice? Be a Good Samaritan.

And of course, pray for them.

So yes, the homeless and those with substance use problems are our neighbors.

Immigrants are also our neighbors.

The Old Testament repeatedly commands the Israelites to care for the foreigners or aliens residing among them. They should treat foreigners as they would want to be treated, because the Hebrews themselves were once aliens in Egypt.

Unless you’ve been living in a bubble, you realize that this has been a difficult year for many of our immigrant brothers and sisters in Christ – the vast majority of whom have been peacefully living and working in our midst, but who now live in constant fear that masked officials will appear from around a corner, arrest them, and drag them off to crowded deportation centers. Just this week, a bishop in Southern California lifted the Sunday Mass obligation, because many in his flock are terrified to go out in public at Mass, and risk arrest.

It doesn’t matter where you sit on the political spectrum: this is an issue of human rights. We need to have the spiritual maturity to rise beyond the ultra-polarized politics of our time. As Catholics, we are arguably ‘homeless’ in a political sense: neither political party captures the totality of Church teaching. We follow Christ as our Savior, not any particular political leader.

So as Catholics we respect Catholic social teaching, which is built on the Gospel and which our bishops here in the U.S. have been repeating publicly in recent months.

I quote from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops: “A country’s rights to regulate its borders and enforce its immigration laws must be balanced with its responsibilities to uphold the sanctity of human life, [to] respect the God-given dignity of all persons … [E]nforcement measures should focus on those who present genuine risks and dangers to society … [We should limit] the use of detention, especially for families, children, pregnant women, the sick, elderly, and disabled …” [end quote] [in other words, trying to handcuff every undocumented person to stuff into them in crowded detention centers is an affront to their God-given dignity… especially when the norm for decades has been amnesty.]

[the Bishops’ statement continues:] “Immigration processes, whether affirmative or defensive, must also be subject to due process. The dehumanization or vilification of noncitizens as a means to deprive them of protection under the law is not only contrary to the rule of law but an affront to God himself, who has created them in his own image.” [end quote]

We cannot sit back and tolerate when others dehumanize God’s people. Our immigrant brethren are not animals, they are not an infestation, they are not a wave or a flood – they are children of God, made in his image.

We need to try to step in the shoes of the other, which is easier if you have friends or family who are immigrants or who live overseas.

I am lucky to be friends with a heroic priest-physician named Fr Rick, who has lived in Haiti for nearly 40 years. He started two hospitals and multiple orphanages there. He sends monthly newsletters that show how dire the situation there is. I’d like to read a recent excerpt:

[Quote]: “Since Lent began in March, many farmers, young and old, have been killed in their fields … A whole family was burned alive … Four members of a parish youth group were hung by their arms from the Church rafters … and one of the security agents from our orphanage was brutally killed and his body burned …,  We are in our fifth year of these vicious attacks by gangs on the population, country wide.” [end quote]

Imagine for a moment that you’re there in Haiti, trying to raise a family amidst this horrific gang violence. What would you do?

How many refugees have made huge sacrifices, to try to escape violence or poverty to find a better life for their families?  How many have lived among us for decades, benefiting society? And yet they are called animals or rapists by people who never trouble to learn their language or hear their stories.

If you look at human history – the most evil regimes were those that dehumanized one or more classes of people as less than human. We cannot tolerate that. To prep for this homily, I spoke with a priest from Central America named Fr X and bishop from South America. Both of them serve a large number of people here in the USA who now live in terror. For example, before a recent Confirmation Mass, many people were sending a frenzy of WhatsApp messages that |CE might be there, and that adults should skip their kids’ own Confirmation. Can you imagine? Both priest and bishop asked me to ask you to speak up.

Again, no matter where you sit on the political spectrum, or on this admittedly complicated political issue: we should all agree that all people should be treated with dignity and due process, the same dignity we would want for ourselves. This is the Golden Rule – the 2^nd Greatest Commandment – to love others as we love ourselves. As Catholics, this includes all of God’s children: whether the unborn, the homeless, or immigrants. Pro-life means supporting human dignity in all of its stages.

Other than being informed and speaking up, what are concrete things we can do? Consider donating money or time to NGOs like Catholic Charities that are assisting immigrants among us. I know they’re in need of teachers of ESL and computer skills. Or you could volunteer at Fr X's parish, which has an after-school program where kids can do their homework, get exercise, and attend Mass. Or he could put you in touch with families whom you could visit at home or check on via phone: "How are you? Can I help in some way. You are loved."

Remember that the Samaritan didn’t just throw coins: he ‘had compassion’ – which means ‘to suffer with’. He got down and touched the bloody, dirty man.

One last idea: you could share your home with refugees (whether while you’re there or away on vacation); if you’re interested, I can put you in touch with an organization that organizes this. We’ve twice had refugees stay in our apartment when we were away on vacation – it’s not much, but something we felt called to do.

Don’t be like the scholar of the law wishing to justify himself, hoping to distance himself from society’s outcasts.

When we come to the end of our lives, will we be with the sheep or the goats? Will we be with the Levite who passed on the other side, or the Samaritan who had compassion?

So Jesus asks: “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?" The scholar answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." And Jesus says to us: Go and do likewise.

Amen.