It’s not just a matter of
uttering God’s laws but more of “doing”.
“Do this and you will live”…is what he advised his apostles.
Who is my neighbor?
Am I a neighbor?
Do I consider my religion a
vertical one containing only my going up to God, and God coming down on me –
or is it also a horizontal one embracing
broken humanity as well, through whom we might find God?
We are in darkness – the
night has not passed – Story of a Rabbi in Jewish tradition –“he asked his
students in what way can they say that night has given place to day? The
students answeredone after another. One
of them said, the night has passed and the day has come if he sees the difference between a dog and a sheep, to
another, if he can distinguish a fig tree from a palm tree, between a tiger and
a leopard.between a cow and a buffalo..
The Rabbi thundered,
“Wrong”!" He continues, “When is it
daytime? When has the night disappeared?" It is when you look on the
face of a stranger , and recognize him as your brother, your sister – until
then, it is still night.
St. John emphasized this
when he said: “by this we shall know that we have passed from darkness to
light, from death to life if we love one another”. (1 Jn. 3:14)
We are not to ask ourselves
just: “Who is my neighbor? But we should also ask ourselves: “to whom can I
prove myself that I am a neighbor? I am the one who is to be a neighbor, to
whoever person in need of help. Unless I
do this, I am not yet a Christian.
God expects us to be a Good Samaritan. In reply to the question of a lawyer, how he could inherit eternal life,Jesus related a parable of the Good Samaritan, where a good man, who saw a victim of ambush lying by the road, was moved with compassion . He bandaged his wounds, poured oil and wine on them and lifted on to his mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. The following day, he left some money to the innkeeper to make sure that the victim is cared for until his return. After relating the story, Jesus asked the lawyer, who is considered a good neighbor?, The lawyer replied, the Samaritan who took care of the victim, To this answer Jesus said,” Go and do the same yourself!” God expects us to be good Samaritan to all those in need. What does it mean? It means to be what Jesus himself is. He helps us in our needs. He is the one who has come to save us. He has come to heal our weakness and to forgive our sins. He has freed us from our pain and guilt. He never leaves us without his assistance.