This article first appeared on Chapleboro.com.
A perspective from Deacon Stephen Yates
In Jesus’ famous parable of the Good Samaritan, we are challenged to consider what it truly means to be a good neighbor – someone who offers help and compassion without hesitation. Who are we called to help? Who deserves our care?
These questions are especially urgent today, as millions of lives hang in the balance, with a series of executive orders and stop-work directives forcing vital aid programs to a halt while the administration conducts a 90-day review. While a few waivers for lifesaving work have been granted, the money that comes along with them has still not been released. As a result, aid groups have been unable to resume those lifesaving programs.
Two years ago, on a trip to Zambia, I was fortunate enough to see those programs and meet some of our neighbors, one of whom was Mary, who farms a small plot of land there. Using funds from the U.S., she was able to buy soybeans seeds to feed her family. Eventually, she started a co-op with neighboring farms, opened several small stores, and began earning enough money to share with her community. With aid provided by the U.S., Mary has been able to give her neighbors a helping hand, and through that support, the people of the U.S. have been able to live out the story of the Good Samaritan.
But the terminations of active foreign assistance programs have put our ability to be the Good Samaritan at risk. Without the flow of funding, we are unable to help our neighbors – the men, women, and children who do not choose to be poor, hungry, or in need. They do not choose to be the victims of war, economic, or natural disasters.
While the administration has the right to review foreign aid programs and make sure they are efficient, halting lifesaving aid during the review process will be detrimental to millions, including innocent children who are suffering at no fault of their own.
The programs under review tackle issues like poverty, disease, and conflict. They reduce instability that can lead to terrorism and migration, helping create a safer world and answering Secretary Rubio’s questions about whether foreign aid makes America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.
Foreign aid does more than just provide immediate relief – it empowers people like Mary to start businesses, create jobs, and build sustainable communities. When local communities thrive, countries thrive. The goal is for these nations to graduate from dependence on international aid, becoming strong trade partners instead.
America’s leadership transforms lives like Mary’s, and if we back away from that mantle of leadership, we run the risk of losing momentum to build on the great work that has already been done and potentially damage the U.S.’s international credibility and safety.
The people I’ve encountered are grateful for our presence and have an immense gratitude for life. They’re not sitting around, waiting for a handout. They grip life with both hands and celebrate it, because it is a sacred gift.
Our neighbors are created in the image of God, and we’re given the simple command to love. As a global leader, it is imperative that the U.S. model the Good Samaritan and show compassionate love through the care of those who find themselves in need.
At this pivotal moment in our country’s history, I encourage everyone to reach out to their members of Congress and impress upon them the need to unfreeze the funds while these aid programs are reviewed. Yes, it’s important that we’re helping our neighbors as efficiently as possible, but in the meantime, we can’t afford to withhold funds and keep the lifesaving programs around the world at a standstill.
The scholar told Jesus that the Good Samaritan was the person who showed mercy to the man in need. And Jesus told the scholar, “Go and do likewise.” The U.S. needs to do likewise. We must continue to show the world mercy.
Deacon Stephen Yates is a permanent deacon serving at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill.