The Good Samaritan Today
- Fr. Vincy Vaz, SJ

Before moving to St. Joseph’s Church, Mumbra, I began renovating my room to convert it into something more habitable. A carpenter began work on a small loft created for me to sleep. Unfortunately, his assistant accidentally put on the fan switch, instead of the light, so that the blades hit his forehead causing a deep gash, which began to bleed profusely. Horrified by the accident, the assistant called for the watchman, who, in turn, went and called Mr. Bobby Marcus our SCC co-ordinator. He came, washed the wound, assessed the extent of the injury and took him to the OPD of the nearby Bhurani Hospital. The doctors and nurses attended to him immediately, stitched his wound, sent him to go and rest and later called him back for the required dressing. The carpenter was back at work the next day!

What was unique about the incident was that the carpenter was a Hindu, the parishioner, obviously, a Catholic, and the doctor and nurses, Muslims. It was one more concrete example of the inter-religious harmony that pervades the air of Mumbra.

That day Jesus must have recalled his own parable of the Good Samaritan, and he must have smiled!