Review the story of "The Good Samaritan." The story is significant not only in that the man from Samaria helps someone he does not know, but that he helps someone who belongs to a group — the Hebrews — that his people consider an enemy. This is often left out of the children's story, but is considered to have been a factor in the original telling.

Close your eyes and imagine the place where the story happens. Explore the many details, down to the flies buzzing around the wounded man's bloodied head. Try to imagine yourself in the position of the Samaritan. Imagine what it was like for him to tend to the wounded Hebrew.

Think of times when you have had to drop everything and put yourself fully into the service of helping another. Have you ever done this for a stranger? Someone you considered an enemy, or for whom you felt enmity? Has a stranger ever done this for you? How did it feel to show, or be shown, compassion?

Think about the children in Moral Tales. In what situations might they face a choice to show compassion, mercy and caring?