Love Thy Neighbor

"Jesus said to him, 'What is written in the law? How do you read it?' He said in reply, 'You shall love the Lord, you God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.' He replied to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.'

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?' Jesus replied, 'A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' 

Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?' He answered, 'The one who treated him with mercy.' Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.' " - Luke 10:26 - 37 

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..." -Matthew 28:19

These were the scripture passages used last Thursday to discuss our call to live mercy and peace in the midst of conflict. Here are the highlights...

•  Samaritans were outcasts in the Palestinian Jewish society. After the Babylonian Captivity ended, not all the Jewish people returned to their homeland. Some (including the Samaritans) remained in Gentile territory, were influenced by the Hellenization of culture, and intermarried with non-Jewish people. By the time of Jesus, many of these Jewish people had moved back to Palestine, but were treated as unclean and less that the Palestinian Jews who had remained faithful to the ritual purity laws. 

• By calling this scholar to see the Samaritan as the neighbor in this parable, Jesus is challenging that culture stigma. This is a theme that is prevalent throughout Luke's Gospel. Jesus is constantly approaching the outcast: the poor, the woman, the leper, the unclean. The resounding message is that your neighbor is the person (Gentile or Jew, clean or unclean) in front of you who needs to experience God's mercy and peace through you. The challenge for us, then, is this: who in today's world do we need to work to see as our neighbor?

• There has been so much conflict in St. Louis in recent months. The Archbishop has called us all to pray for peace. Additionally, we can choose, in our daily lives, to live peace with those around us. 

• Who are the outcasts in your school? Your church? Your community? How are you called to be "neighbor" to those people?

Remember, our call to live and spread the message of the Gospel is a call to reach out to ALL. What should that look like in your life today?