In today’s gospel, Jesus honors a Samaritan by making him the hero of the story, not the priest or the Levite. Jesus was making a point about love and neighbor.

Love is action.
In this parable, the law of love is written in the heart of a nameless Samarian man who through mercy shows compassion to someone in need. His compassion shows us how to love even when there is no personal gain.  His action shows us that color and creed do not matter when someone is hurting. We become united in suffering and when we take the time to walk with someone in need, we too are blessed.

The unfortunate reality is that sometimes we don’t want to be bothered and other times we don’t recognize those who are in need. But when we allow the mercy of our Lord to penetrate our hearts, we are able to look beyond ourselves, open our spiritual eyes, and see others in need.   

So who is our neighbor?
Jesus illustrates it perfectly in this parable. Our neighbor is anyone in need, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or socio-economic status. Loving our neighbor is challenging and often involves sacrifice. Sometimes we even have to reject the fear and prejudice that resides in our own hearts in order to show God’s mercy.  So maybe the better question is who will I be a neighbor to today?

Have mercy on me O God and help me to recognize those in need.

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time, be blessed, Renae