“Who Is the Best Samaritan’’? Our faithfulness and love of God, we learn from the gospel of today, will be assessed on the basis of our attitude to people. The true religion is the religion of life, not the religion of just beautiful words. The Samaritan could practice it because his heart was pure and capable of harboring the feelings that God has for the human person, that is, a heart capable of compassion. The first reading is telling us that the commandments are not something imposed from outside, but spring from the inner need of our heart. Also, the second reading may be seen in line with this theme: Jesus was the first in all, even in the love for his brethren. He was the first real and authentic ‘’Samaritan’’ of humankind. For the human race was waylaid by sin. Sin had tripped us of our dignity as human beings. It had robbed us, taking from us the grace of God. It had attracted us so severely that we all were like a person who is half dead. Jesus lifted us up, not on a beast, but on his own shoulders and brought us to the Church so that we could be cared for until he returns in glory on the day of our resurrection. As we go through, sin will continue to stalk us, waiting for an unguarded moment when it can attack us in our weakness. But we need never be alone in our struggle. It is vital that we learn the lesson of today’s responsorial psalm: “Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.’’ When we turn to the Lord we will realize that he is not too mysterious and remote for us. Jesus is not merely the Good Samaritan. He is the best!