4th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 6

Some personal reflections on the gospel lesson.

The columnist, George Will wrote a column several weeks ago in which he said, we American should be more like a fore fathers in that we should display more courage, stoicism and self-reliance.

In other words, I think he meant that we should just worry about ourselves and show no emotions about our lot in life.

I think he meant we should be more like the Spartans of old. The old Greek city-state of Sparta would take their infirm, their old agers, their wounded in battle who could no longer fight and would take them up on a mountain top, give them a blanket and let them die, out of sight, and our of mind.

I think some people in the government and some conservative commentators would say, "If you cannot take care of yourself, the hell with you!" Be self reliant, be stoic, don't worry about anyone but yourself.

But at the same time, these same people keep saying over and over again that we are a Christian nation. A Christian nation means one that follows the teaching of Jesus. And Jesus taught in our gospel lesson for this week, that we are to be people of compassion.

We are to reach out to those less fortunate in our society with a helping hand.

We aren't to say to those less fortunate, "hell with you" if you cannot make it on your own, if you need a helping hand.

We are to show compassion.

Compassion is simply understanding someone's deepest needs together with a desire to do something about it.

Do we have a desire to do something about someone's deepest needs?