Sermon: Selfishness, by Rev. Ingham

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

[00:00:05]>> [snorts] >> Children, you all know the the story in the Gospels of the Good Samaritan.

[00:00:15]There was a man going from Jerusalem down to Jericho and he was attacked.

[00:00:23]He was attacked by robbers who stole his things and left him wounded and half dead by the side of the road.

[00:00:33]And commentators say that he was going to die.

[00:00:36]He was going to die unless somebody stepped in and did something to help him.

[00:00:44]And then a priest passing by.

[00:00:48]He sees him lying there covered in blood and he just keeps going on his way.

[00:00:58]And then a Levite which is something like a deacon.

[00:01:03]He also sees the man lying there covered in blood and wounds but he just keeps going on his way.

[00:01:13]And why did they act like that?

[00:01:15]Well, we'll see in a moment.

[00:01:19]But then the Samaritan comes.

[00:01:23]And Samaritans and Jews, they didn't get along.

[00:01:26]They didn't get along because of their religious differences. So, they wouldn't even speak to each other.

[00:01:34]But the Samaritan, he sees that this man, he's in grave need and he has compassion for him.

[00:01:42]And so, he helps him.

[00:01:44]And as we look at how this Samaritan helps this man let's notice what this act of charity, what it cost him.

[00:01:57]The priest, the priest and the Levite, they just hurried by.

[00:02:01]They were probably a little disgusted.

[00:02:04]Maybe the man was lying in a pool of his own blood.

[00:02:08]They didn't want to get their robes dirty.

[00:02:12]At any rate, they just move along.

[00:02:15]But the Samaritan, he comes close.

[00:02:19]He cleans the man's wounds, all of the blood and the dirt.

[00:02:23]He gets his hands dirty.

[00:02:26]And then he pours wine and oil on the wounds and bandages them up.

[00:02:34]So already this act of charity, it cost the Samaritan his time, and also the wine and the oil that he had.

[00:02:46]But then he goes further, and he chooses to travel on foot so that the man can ride on his donkey.

[00:02:57]He brings the man to an inn.

[00:03:01]And he he pays for the man to be able to stay there.

[00:03:06]And then he tells the innkeeper, "Whatever Whatever it costs, I'll pay you when I come back."

[00:03:16]So it also this charity, it cost the Samaritan his comfort, giving up his own his own donkey, and it cost him his money, paying for for the man to stay in the inn.

[00:03:31]And commentators, they say that when our Lord told this story, this wasn't just a parable. He was telling us a true story, that this actually happened. The Samaritan was a real man. The man who was robbed was a real man.

[00:03:47]And it shows us It shows us that charity towards others, it always costs something to ourselves.

[00:03:57]It cost the Samaritan his time, his comfort, his goods.

[00:04:07]In the case of our Lord, it cost him his life.

[00:04:11]And in the case of us, it will always cost us something to to help our neighbor.

[00:04:19]St. Paul, he tells us, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and thus you shall fulfill the law of Christ."

[00:04:30]Why did the priest and the Levite pass the man by?

[00:04:35]Because they were not willing to sacrifice their comfort, or spend their time, or share their goods with the man, even when he really needed them.

[00:04:52]Their hearts Their hearts were narrow and selfish. There was no room for anyone else in their hearts.

[00:05:00]And that's that's a sad way to live.

[00:05:06]But we can all of us we can every single one of us be like that priest or that Levite sometimes because of that selfishness that's in us.

[00:05:17]And so we see someone who could use some help with a job, but we just pass them by.

[00:05:26]Or we might notice that somebody is having a bad day, that maybe they're sad, and we can see that.

[00:05:36]And it's in our power to pick them up a little bit by >> [snorts] >> speaking to them, even just giving them a smile.

[00:05:43]But maybe we don't even do this.

[00:05:48]St. Therese of Lisieux, when it came time for recreation, she would she would look she'd be on the lookout for the sister who was having a bad day.

[00:05:58]And then she'd go and she'd spend her recreation with that sister.

[00:06:01]Maybe there'd be some sister all alone in >> [snorts] >> in the courtyard somewhere.

[00:06:10]So, those are examples of mercy.

[00:06:13]And mercy, it's a virtue of the strong.

[00:06:16]Mercy is the virtue of the strong because those who are merciful, they are willing to help another person, and they're also capable of it.

[00:06:32]They can they can deliver somebody else from some evil or some problem that they're facing.

[00:06:41]And so, mercy is a it is a virtue of the strong.

[00:06:48]So, let's remember that the next time we see someone in need, whatever it may be, that we will either act like the priest and the Levite and pass them by because of selfishness, or else we will be like the Samaritan.

[00:07:05]And our Lord, he told us he told us, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

[00:07:12]God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

[00:07:16]Amen.