What must I do to inherit eternal life? This question posed to Jesus by the scholar of the law touches on the fundamental human need: the attaining of humanity's deepest desire. The human person, we read, is a transcendent being, that is, he tries always to reach beyond what/who he is. The human person is not satisfied with who/what he is, and as such, will always seek for means to satisfy this longing. In our gospel text today, we are provided with an avenue, a means of attaining this transcendence. And it is the way of love. However, it is a love that is unlike any love that we know. It is a love that seeks, not its own good, but rather the good of the other. It is a love that is 'other-oriented.' The parable of the Good Samaritan gives a perfect example of this kind of love. In his culture (and ours too), the scholar knew of his neighbor as someone who belonged to his community, someone who could reciprocate his love and/or actions. Such was to be the object of one's love simply because a love rendered to such a one is not 'lost.' Jesus proposes a new way of loving, a loving that can get 'lost,' a loving that might not end up being reciprocated. He says it is such a loving that expresses transcendence, that a person who loves in this way transcends the self. The Samaritan, by not thinking about his own safety but rather the well-being of the wounded man, shows us what loving the other truly means.