Eucharist in the Time of Corona

In today’s Gospel (Lk. 10:25-37), the scholar inquires, “Who is my neighbor?” Using the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus teaches us that our neighbor is the “other” who is suffering and in need of mercy.

In his Summa Theologiae (ST II-II.30.1), St. Thomas Aquinas defines the virtue of mercy as "the compassion in our hearts for another person's misery, a compassion which drives us to do what we can to help.”  For St. Thomas the virtue of mercy has two sides: "affective" mercy which is an emotion we feel for the plight of another, and "effective" mercy which is the action we take do to relieve the miseries or meet the needs of the one suffering.

The good Samaritan is the neighbor par excellence showing mercy to the injured victim of the robber. He feels sympathy for the injured stranger and is moved to action. He uses his status, his talents, and his  treasure to give relief to the suffering stranger.

During this time of Corona, amid unprecedented human suffering, we are faced with an extraordinary opportunity to cultivate the virtue of mercy.  Who is your neighbor? Who are you called to love as yourself?  Jesus teaches us that loving our neighbor as ourselves requires that we do more than feel sympathy and pray for the other, it requires that we do all that we can to relieve their suffering.