And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? And 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 neighbour as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered right; do this, and you will live."

Jesus must have smiled when he heard this man challenge him to explain one's duty towards his neighbour. For the Jewish believer the law of love was plain and simple: "treat your neighbour as you would treat yourself." The real issue for this believer was the correct definition of who is "my neighbour ". He understood "neighbour” to mean one's fellow Jew who belonged to the same covenant which God made with the people of Israel. Up to a certain point, Jesus agreed with this sincere expert but, at the same time, he challenged him to see that God's view of neighbour went far beyond his narrow definition. What does Jesus' story tell us this weekend about true love for one's neighbour? First, we must be willing to help even if others brought trouble on themselves through their own fault or negligence. Second, our love and concern to help others in need must be practical. Good intentions and showing pity, or empathising with others, are not enough. And lastly, our love for others must be as wide and as inclusive as God's love. God excludes no one from his care and concern. God's love is unconditional. So we must be ready to do good to others for their sake, just as God is good to us. Jesus truly identified with our plight, and he took the burden of our sinful condition upon himself. He showed us the depths of God's love and compassion, by sharing in our suffering and by offering his life as an atoning sacrifice for our sins upon the cross. We are faced with great questions this Sunday- Are we ready to embrace the cross of Christ, and perhaps to suffer for his sake, and to lay down our life out of love for our neighbour?

Quote from the Early Church Fathers: God desires to be our neighbour, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. "God our Lord wished to be called our neighbour. The Lord Jesus Christ meant that he was the one who gave help to the man lying half-dead on the road, beaten and left by the robbers. The prophet said in prayer, 'As a neighbour and as one's own brother, so did I please' (Psalm 34:14 ). Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature, the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of our neighbour. He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God's goodness.”

Fr John

Meditations may be freely reprinted for non-commercial use - please cite: copyright © 2022 Servants of the Word, source: dailyscripture.net, author Don Schwager.

Bulletin 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time