Jesus’ famous parable of the Good Samaritan is being writ large in the alluvial soil of southern Louisiana. You remember the ancient story: A man was mugged and left for dead by the roadside. The first person to arrive was a priest. He passed by the other side, probably on his way to the temple. Next came a Levite or lay leader, and he did the same. Only an outcast foreigner bothered to stop, tend the man’s wounds and take him to a nearby inn.<\/p>\n
This time, it’s New Orleans that lies bleeding in the ditch while most of the nation goes about its business: dropping the kids off in Missoula, catching a train to work in Manhattan, running errands in Little Rock. Now, almost two years after Hurricane Katrina, the question remains: Will we stop to lend a hand?<\/p>\n