The 2024 theme Stand Up! is based on the Story of the Good Samaritan. The theme is about being proactive in the pursuit of peace, how we respond, it’s about courage, action and receiving a stranger as Christ.
In the story of the Good Samaritan, a man is beaten by robbers and is badly injured. Three people pass the man, the Priest, the Levite and the Samaritan. It is the Samaritan, the most unlikely person, who responds to what he sees in a very generous way. He baths the man’s wounds in oils and wine, which are expensive items. He puts the man on his own animal and takes him to an inn, which costs the Samaritan his own time. At the Inn, he gives the innkeeper his own money to look after the man.
We also make choices in our own lives - do we help or keep going on our way.
The challenge this year with our 2024 Theme of Stand Up! is not just about helping someone else; it is about generosity and hospitality, and standing up regarding the choices we make when we see people who need help.
The image chosen to depict the theme, Stand Up! is a piece that reflects a modern version of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable of the Good Samaritan speaks to the essence of what it is to be human. It is a story that transcends time and culture to become a symbol of selflessness that is needed in our contemporary world. It teaches us that communities are built by standing up for the poor and vulnerable. We all have a role to play, and this image reflects each of us in the Lourdes Hill College community. This artwork serves as a reminder that even in our modern, complex and interconnected world, the simple act of reaching out a helping hand can help build a more inclusive and caring world.