A two-way street: Giving and receiving | As I have loved you

Julian Paparella

Monday, March 23, 2026

Paiting of two men making arrangements at the entrance of a building, with another, injured man being taken down from a horse.
Rembrandt, "The Good Samaritan." While most paintings portray the encounter on the road, this work shows the Samaritan taking the wounded man to the inn. Wikimedia Commons.

A two-way street: Giving and receiving

A reflection on Chapter 5 of Dilexi Te

 
As we have seen over the past weeks, Dilexi Te calls us to look anew at the reality of poverty in its various forms. It is an invitation to reflect critically on how we can transform our relationships with those who are suffering, marginalized, and excluded. In last week’s reflection, we saw how unjust social and economic structures keep certain people and certain groups on the sidelines of society. Sadly, we often contribute to these structures of sin on a daily basis, without giving it much thought. Pope Leo calls each one of us to take up the “constant challenge” of personally doing our part to confront the causes of poverty and reach out to those impacted by it:
No Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our "family." They are ‘one of us.’ Nor can our relationship to the poor be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or function” (#104).
 

The Good Samaritan and beyond

Echoing the powerful words of Pope Francis in Fratelli Tutti, Leo points to the parable of the Good Samaritan, calling us to seriously consider how we relate to those who are in need. Do we look away and rush by like the priest and the Levite, or do we take time to offer our help like the Good Samaritan? The evocative questions posed by the Holy Father are an ongoing challenge for each of us:
Which of these persons do you identify with [the priest, the Levite, the bandits, or the Good Samaritan]? This question, blunt as it is, is direct and incisive. Which of these characters do you resemble? We need to acknowledge that we are constantly tempted to ignore others, especially the weak. Let us admit that, for all the progress we have made, we are still “illiterate” when it comes to accompanying, caring for, and supporting the most frail and vulnerable members of our developed societies. We have become accustomed to looking the other way, passing by, and ignoring situations until they affect us directly. (DT #105, quoting Fratelli Tutti #64)
We know the story well: when he sees the man left for dead by the side of the road, the Good Samaritan is moved with compassion, takes the time to stop, approaches the man, bandages his wounds, puts him on his horse, and takes him to the inn, asking the innkeeper to take care of him. 
On the one hand, the parable shows us how the actions of a single person can make a life-changing difference for another person. Without the Good Samaritan, the man who had been mugged would likely have died there in the ditch. On the other hand, the parable reveals that we are not meant to act alone in caring for others. The challenges and suffering are often too great to be handled by only one person. The Good Samaritan involves the innkeeper in his act of care and compassion. The Samaritan cannot save the man by himself, but realizes that he requires others to be involved to provide the man with all the help he needs to heal. We can think of the many communities, groups, and associations where people work together to reach out to those in need, multiplying their impact through their collective efforts.
 
 

Almsgiving and more: Daring to give and receive

Dilexi Te concludes with a heartfelt plea for those of us who come from privileged segments of society and of the world to give to those who are not as privileged as we are. On the surface, this concerns first and foremost our material goods and resources. Giving money, food, and clothing is a necessary way of caring for people’s real vital needs. It is not possible to say “I care about you” while leaving people hungry and shivering in the cold. 
At the same time, we know that money is not the sole solution. Our faith calls us to give of our time, to lend a listening ear, to offer our friendship, and to work together towards a more just and fraternal society, one step at a time. He once again quotes the Aparecida Document (#397):
We are asked to devote time to the poor, to give them loving attention, to listen to them with interest, to stand by them in difficult moments, choosing to spend hours, weeks or years of our lives with them, and striving to transform their situations, starting from them. We cannot forget that this is what Jesus himself proposed in his actions and by his words (quoted in DT #104).
In this light, almsgiving is not just about giving our money. It is an invitation to give of ourselves, and to invest in authentic relationships with those who suffer and are marginalized. Our personal relationships with them not only show us that we have something to give, but also open us to receive all they have to offer.  Those who have little materially are rich in many other ways. Their life lessons, wisdom, deep faith, and ability to persevere are profound sources of inspiration that we can all learn from. 
God wants to give something to our brothers and sisters in need through us, but he also wants us to receive something essential from them; something which has the power to change our lives on an ongoing basis. Like in a family, each member has something beautiful to offer the others, and the most important thing is that we live out the love and care we have for one another.
How is God calling you to give of yourself to others? What is he inviting you to receive through them?


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