A Vice President, a Medieval Theologian, and a Pope Walk Into a News Story

I was reading an article about Pope Francis’ recent letter to American bishops, and then about a lawsuit filed by religious leaders today.

(You can join me in voicing your support here.)

I couldn’t help but consider this gospel story from Luke 10 [not]:

Luke 10:25 ff (PRSV*)
An expert in God’s holy and inerrant Word stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Scriptures? What do you read there?” The man answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied,

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead.

Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him, he said, “According to the ordo amoris, as will be taught by Thomas Aquinas and JD Vance in the distant future, my first obligation is to my family, then my neighbor, then my community and fellow citizens. I cannot be certain whether this person is in any of those divinely ordained categories, being a complete stranger to me. He may even be an illegal alien. So I will hasten to the other side of the road.”

So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, said, “Helping this fellow will interrupt my spiritual work as a Levite. Nothing can interrupt that work, because it is for God, praised be His Holy Name. Not only that, but I have no way of knowing that this fellow isn’t being punished by our Sovereign God for his sins, and I don’t want to interfere with the righteous judgment of the Almighty on a sinner. Not only that, but if I am late for my Levite duties at the Temple, I might lose my job, which would mean I couldn’t support my family, and they are my highest priority according to the ordo amoris, as will be taught by Thomas Aquinas and JD Vance in the distant future. Not only that, but as a faithful conservative Levite, I don’t want to be guilty of toxic empathy, a spiritual disease of progressives. Let me hasten to the other side of the road.”

But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion, for he, being a Samaritan, knew nothing of the doctrines of ordo amoris or toxic empathy. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”

 

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

*Politically Revised Standard Version