Mercy Calls Us Back

We All Walk By Sometimes—And Still, Mercy Calls Us Back

There’s a story Jesus told that still pierces the heart.

A man is beaten, robbed, and left half-dead on the side of the road. Two respected figures pass by—religious leaders, even. Maybe they had important tasks to get to. Maybe they felt helpless, afraid, overwhelmed. We don’t know. But they walked by.

Then, a Samaritan—an outsider, someone others might have dismissed—saw the man and was moved with compassion. He stopped. He bound up wounds. He paid the cost. He made space in his life for a stranger’s suffering. He acted.

That story still echoes today. As policies are passed and programs are cut—programs meant to feed the hungry, care for the sick, shelter the unhoused, welcome the immigrant—we see more and more people left in the ditch. And many of us, even with good hearts, feel unsure what to do. We scroll, we shake our heads, we whisper prayers, and we walk on.

But here is the good news: Even when we walk by, God’s mercy does not walk away from us.

God’s mercy meets us exactly where we are—not to shame us, but to awaken us. To call us back to love. To remind us that we are not powerless, and that we are still called. It’s not too late to stop, to turn around, to kneel beside someone else’s pain and do what we can with what we have.

This is a time for prayer—but not prayer alone. Let us pray for those who suffer from indifference and injustice. Let us pray for leaders who hold power over decisions that shape lives. And let us pray for our own awakening—because we are needed.

But then, let us act. Let us contact our representatives. Let us support grassroots organizations. Let us show up, give what we can, speak up when it’s uncomfortable, and refuse to accept that “walking by” is ever the final word.

Because Love is still calling. Mercy is still moving. And we can still be part of the healing.

Lord, give us eyes to see, hearts to feel, and courage to respond. Let your mercy lead us—not only to prayer, but to action. Amen.