Lk 10: 25-37
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’
Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Everyone is Our Neighbor
The first question students usually ask when I assign an essay is “how long does this need to be?”. They’re less than thrilled by my standard response that “the essay should be as long as it needs to be.” In today’s Gospel, the scholar is asking Jesus the equivalent of “how long does the essay need to be?”. How far does the instruction to “love your neighbor” extend? Rather than answering with a definition, Jesus illustrates the ways in which we should love our neighbors because everyone – everyone – is our neighbor. Everyone who is hurt – physically, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically. Everyone who has been abandoned – by their own people, family, society. Everyone who hungers or thirsts – for food and drink, for love and compassion, for forgiveness and mercy. Everyone is our neighbor. Today, ask God for the grace to recognize those in your life who are hurting, lonely, or in need and for the courage to cross over to their side of the road to heal their wounds, shoulder their burdens, and treat them with mercy.
—Jackie Schulte is the Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You teach us in your parable that there are two kinds of people–
–those who bend down to help and those who look the other way.
Which kind of people will we be?
We say, “Yes, Lord, I will love you and love my neighbor.”
But then we ask:
The migrant… is she my neighbor?
Those in poverty…are they my neighbors?
Victims of war across the world… are they neighbors?
One who faces racism… is he my neighbor?
Those disabled or elderly… are they my neighbors?
You remind us: Yes. All of us neighbors.
Show us how to love, Lord.
May we open our eyes.
May we emerge from our comfortable isolation.
May we build a world of compassion and dignity.
Lord Jesus, who was neighbor to all,
Help us to persevere in love.
Help us to restore dignity to the suffering.
Help us to build a society based not on exclusion, but on community.
Amen.
—USCCB Prayer inspired by Fratelli Tutti, nos. 64, 67, 70, Copyright © 2021, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. This text may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration for nonprofit educational use, provided such reprints are not sold and include this notice.