Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-08
GOOD SAMARITAN
BISHOPS SUBJECT
breaches to Large Congregation
in the Cathedral of st.
Vibiana

The Good Samaritan" was the topic
of the sermon preached by the Rt
Rev. Bishop Conaty before large con-
gregation yesterday morning at the
Cathedral of st. Vibiana. The bishop
dwelt on the beauties of the parable of
Christ, and said in part:
This parable seems to be the most
universally known of all the parallels
of Christ 1t fixes forever in the minds
of men the beautiful lesson that Christ
came to teach-that all men are broth
ers and that charity finds its true ex-
preston in giving aid to those who are
suffering, entirely regardless of race,
creed or any previous personal relation
ship to them. Christ gave the parable
Of the Good Samaritan as an answer to
the question of the learned scribe who
asked him: Who is my neighbor" The
question was rather an intellectual one
put forward, by the scribe, who was
learned in the law, and ChriSts an
swer was an appeal to the heart to
show that the neighbor was to be de-
termined by his compassion and aid
to the suffering, regardless not only of
lines of race or creed but also of per-
sonal dislikes or hatreds arising from
injuries received.
NO REWARD
"The wounded man was jew; the
charity extended to him came from
Samaritan. To the Jew, the Samaritan
was a man of evil, and to the Samar1-
tan, the Jew was one to be detested as
belonging to a hated race. The voice
of humanity appeals to the Samaritan,
and he acts as a neighbor to the suffer-
ing Jew. He forgets his business af-
fairs, exposes himself to danger, ap-
plies the simple remedies at hand, takes
the wounded man TO the inn and pro-
vides for all his needs. He was moved
to mercy, and hence his charity had
the characteristic Of sincerity. He did
not cOnfine himself to mere words of
sympathy, but cared for the injured
man and helped him by good deeds.
His charity was perfectly gratuitous,
for there was no hope of reward. His
one thought was to save the man from
death and help restore him to health.
His generous charity did not allow him
to stop to consider the losses that might
come to him by delay or the incon-
veniences that might result in a
strange land among a people who were
his enemies. His charity was uniVer-
sal, springing from the sense of COM
passion for a man in suffering and de-
termined by the great broad line of hu-
manity. 1t mattered not if in that man
he recognized an enemy, charity bade
him help hm because he was in need of
a Neighbour y IlGlps Ills Sllrillly plO-
vided for the future also so that moth
ing might be left undone to complete
the act of helpfulness.
OUR BRETHREN
For the first time man was taught
that our common humanity makes us
all brethren and the common redemp-
ton unites us all in Christ, who came
to save the Jew. as well as the Gentle,
the barbarian as we'll as the Roman,
and whose love reached out to all men
in whom was the image Of God and
who had been created to enjoy God
forever The pagan world had never
known the dignity of human nature,
the Jewish world was narrowed to the
brethren of the covenant, but Christ
taught the lesson of a common hu-
r-anity in which all men were brothers.
"Under the figure of the Good Sa-
maritan we may see the Divine Saviour,
who, by His incarnation and redemp-
ton, became the true neighbor to man
wounded and robbed by sin on his jour
ney through life. The old law and
the prophets could not help him, but
Christ came and though he recognized
in man one who had become his
enemy by reason OF sin yet he was
moved to compassion toward him,
bound up his wounds, poured into
them the oil and wine Of His divine
grace, placed him in the shelter Of
his church and provided for him the
help necessary to bring him to the full
enjoyment of spiritual life, The par
able of the Good Samaritan teaches
us that the duty to the neighbor is
not determined by blood nor locality
nor by gratitude for service rendered,
"The church is a Good Samaritan
doing the work of Christ among men,
Inspiring to faith and hope, urging
men TO charity, bidding all mankind
live as brethren to Christ, and helping
by sacramental grace to live the true
life. 1t goes through the world teach
ing men to love God and love one an
other, it appeals to justice that all
1t calls to men to love the poor and
the dependent, to do deeds OF mercy,
and to realize that in all this world
there is nothing SO beautiful as char