'Go and Do Likewise'
By Associate Chaplain Andy Fleming
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan was told at the Junior and Secondary School Commencement Chapels last week. This parable was originally told by Jesus to a lawyer who was testing him. The lawyer knew the most important laws were to love God and love his neighbour as he would himself. However, the lawyer showed less of an understanding about who to apply these laws to by asking Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?".
In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus provides no reason for the actions of the priest and the Levite, who was an assistant at the temple, walking past the injured man. It would have been outrageous to those listening that a priest and Levite would be singled out as not fulfilling the law properly. Even more so that a samaritan - among the most disliked and socially outcast group in Israel - is the one who offers assistance. It appears that there was a need for a change in attitude for the Israelites about who their neighbour was. Naturally, the lawyer correctly identifies the samaritan as the one of the three who acted like a neighbour. Jesus’ challenge to “go and do likewise” rings true for us as much as it did for the lawyer.
Go and do likewise is a provocative invitation to go and care for those under duress, the down trodden and those living on the margins of our society. Our students have many opportunities through programs in our College, such as Service Learning, Round Square and Radford Tribal Council, to be neighbours to those less fortunate than ourselves. Go and do likewise can also be a much simpler invitation. You see our neighbours are also among the Radford community. They are everyone at College celebrations, supporting your child’s sporting teams and performing arts groups, and those next to you in the pick-up lines. Our constant challenge is to show love, compassion and mercy to all people in our community.
Eden Canoes project
At the end of last year, Mr Corbett, Mrs Whitby and I accompanied eleven students to Eden to participate in the Eden Canoes project. For participating students, the project is a practical opportunity to be immersed in the cultural experience of building wooden canoes, which grows their confidence and teamwork skills and gives them a greater cultural awareness. We were privileged to be the first residential program for Eden Canoes. The students learnt so much about the culture and the lives of the local First Nations peoples through spending time with Indigenous mentors on Country. As representatives of Radford, I couldn’t be prouder of the students' efforts and attitudes towards being part of our wider community.
May you all be blessed with courage to love your neighbours.
