Exploring Catholic Social Teaching

LESSON PLAN
inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked the scholar what he thought the answer to the question was,
to which he answered “You shall love the lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your
being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” The
Samaritan lived this command by caring for his neighbor and attending to his wounds. By
doing so, he was also showing his love for God by following His command.
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Explain that the Samaritans were outcasts in society during Jesus’ time and were considered
to be less than others. In fact, it was against the law for upstanding Jewish citizens to even
speak to a Samaritan. How did the Samaritan in this parable exemplify Jesus’ teaching in
this parable? The priest and the Levite failed to love their neighbor. The Samaritan, who was
considered an outcast and even an enemy, disregarded this and helped a person in need.
Have your students turn to a neighbor and discuss a time when they did the right thing for
someone else, even when they didn’t want to. Accept reasoned answers.
B. Explain to your students that this parable comes from the Gospel of Luke. In it, Jesus deepens
His teaching about loving our neighbor as ourselves by dramatically demonstrating to us that
“our neighbor” doesn’t refer only to those people we like or who are our friends. God calls us to
love everyone. Everyone we meet gives us an opportunity to love.
Activity
A. Distribute copies of Handout D: Readers Theater: The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Assign
roles to various students, and then lead your students in a dramatization of the Parable of the
Good Samaritan. Use the “stage direction” from the script to help direct your students in what
to do and say.
B. After completing the Readers Theater, ask:
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What does this parable teach us about love for one another?
Why do you think Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story and not the priest or the
Levite? Help students recognize that the parable teaches us that everyone is deserving and
capable of giving and receiving love.
What other thoughts, questions, or new learning do you have about this parable? Accept
reasoned answers.
Formative Assessment
Give students a copy of Handout E: How Can I Love My Neighbor?. For each suggested neighbor,
have your students draw a picture of one way they can love that person, and then write a sentence
describing their drawing.
EXPLORING CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING, lesson 2 19