
Who Is My Neighbor?
In today’s gospel, a scribe stands up to test Jesus and asks, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Aware of the scribe’s malicious intent, Jesus throws back the question at him. “You are a scholar of the law, what does it say?” “Love God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself.” “Correct, now do it and you will live.”Perhaps embarrassed and wanting to justify himself, the scholar presses on, “And who is my neighbor?”Jesus does not give a direct answer but simply tells a story. A man is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho and falls in the hands of robbers. He is left on the road, half-naked and half-dead. A priest passes by, sees the victim and passes on the opposite side. Later, a Levite appears in the scene and likewise takes the opposite side.Finally...