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Thank you. I invite those of you now standing to sit down.
That showing is reassuring--that is, if is authentic and not just for the TV cameras.
A Moral Question
Health care coverage is basically a moral question, isn't it?
It has something to do with being "your brother's keeper" (or your sister's). That expression, of course, is from the Bible. So is the parable of the Good Samaritan. The story is about health care and being a good neighbor, isn't it? Let's see how it may relate to our situation today.
The question posed to Jesus is, Who is my neighbor? In reply, Jesus tells a story. A priest and then a deacon see a badly beaten man lying by the side of the road. One by one, they pass right on by.
A Samaritan, on the other hand, stops when he sees that the traveler is in need of urgent care. After applying first aid, he brings this victim of robbers to an inn to rest and heal. The Samaritan gives the innkeeper money to be used to care for the man.
The Good Samaritan was in no way required to help this total stranger, who had what these days might be called "a pre-existing condition." But he does so out of a feeling of compassion and solidarity with another human being--his neighbor.
And then he says a beautiful thing.
He tells the innkeeper, "If more is needed, spend it." The Samaritan would make it up on his way back.
Compassion is what this story is all about--the quality that distinguishes Americans when we are at our best, the virtue about which Thomas Merton wrote this:
"It is in the desert of compassion that the thirsty land turns into springs of water, that the poor possess all things."
The Good Samaritan himself has the attitude that, in my view, we should all bring to health care. It has to do with compassion for our neighbor. It is what accounts for the encouraging poll results showing that over 70 percent of Americans do want to see everyone have access to good health care.
Let me speak to those of you who stood just now to show that you wish to stand up for ALL Americans. I would like to assume that ALL those who got up from their seats rose out of conviction, and not just because we are on TV.
I wish I could assume that, but I cannot.
Walking Right On By
