Have you heard of the interesting 1973 "seminary study" that was performed using the parable of the Good Samaritan? Having been recruited for a study on religious education, 40 seminary students completed questionnaires on religion and were given a task. Beginning the experiment in one building, they were told (with varying degrees of urgency) to go to other buildings to deliver a talk on the Good Samaritan. As they made their way to their respective assignments, they encountered a man slumped over in an alleyway (actually, an actor portraying a man slumped over in an alleyway).
The ultimate question was: Would seminary students who were rushing to deliver a talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan actually stop and help a seemingly injured man? (Note: Other variables were tested, too.)
The ultimate answer: Whether they stopped depended on how hurried they were -- even though they had the parable of the Good Samaritan on their minds. In "low hurry" situations, 63% helped; in "medium hurry" situations, 45% helped; and in "high hurry" situations, 10% helped.
While the researchers avoided the simplistic conclusion that "ethics becomes a luxury as the speed of our daily lives increases," their study should cause us to pause: How often do we, who reflect daily on the Word of God, allow our "hurriedness" or "busyness" get in the way of acting compassionately toward others?
As we continue our Lenten journey during this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, perhaps we can reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and its call for us to "Go and do likewise." Hopefully, we can slow our lives down enough to become the compassionate neighbor Jesus calls us to be.
Click here if you are interested in reading the study ("From Jerusalem to Jericho: A Study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior").
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