“Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?

But he said: He that showed mercy to him.”

We are all on the road to Jericho. Like the man in today's parable, who fell victim to robbers, we often rely on the kindness of strangers to see us through life's irksome, troublesome and, at times, calamitous passages.

Scientists say altruism is hard-wired into our brains. It's a rare person who says, "I can't lose sleep over somebody else's problems." As social creatures we are predisposed to helping one another.

You lose your cell phone with all your photos and addresses and a complete stranger calls to say all is not lost. Your car gets a flat tire on a busy highway and someone you've never met before pulls off on the shoulder of the road to help you change the tire. You drop your wallet in a supermarket and by the time you get home there is a message on your answering machine from the cashier. You rush to catch an elevator and a stranger holds the door open for you. It happens so often that we sometimes forget just how many good samaritans routinely cross our path.

But that's not the kind of altruism Jesus describes in today's Gospel. He talks about the kind of heroic efforts we've seen put forth by men and women, who volunteer after catastrophes such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. These heroes put themselves in grave peril, sometimes sacrificing their own lives, to help total strangers, regardless of who or what they are  - - black or white, rich or poor, attractive or homely, it makes no difference. Yet, hidden camera experiments by the TV show 20/20 show that it can make a difference. In many cases, our willingness to be a Good Samaritan is influenced by the risk to ourselves and the appearance and race of the other person. Somehow, those heroes were able to get beyond our differences and focus on our common bond.

The parallels to today's Gospel story are striking. The victim of the robbers was forsaken by his fellow countrymen for fear that they, too, might be attacked by thieves. The risk was just too great so they hurried on their way. But the Good Samaritan ignored the obvious danger and the fact that the injured man was not like him. In fact, the victim was a hated Jew. Despite their differences, the Samaritan stopped, bandaged the man's wounds and carried him to an inn where he could be properly treated - - at the Samaritan’s expense.

To be a Good Samaritan is to be a risk taker. Few of us are ever called to rush into burning buildings or dive into raging flood waters to rescue those in distress. But we are all called to give of the most precious thing we possess. It is irreplaceable and in limited supply. We can't save it or add to it. At least not in this life. We are all called to give of our time in service to others.