Brotherly Love Sunday Twenty-third Sunday in OT ‘B’

The central theme of today’s Scripture readings is that we gain eternal life by loving God living in our neighbors by becoming good neighbors.

The First Reading, taken from Deuteronomy, reminds us that God not only gives us His Commandments in Holy Scriptures, but that they are also written in our hearts so that we may obey them and inherit eternal life with God.

In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds the Colossians, and us, that just as Christ Jesus is the “visible image of the invisible God,” so our neighbors are the visible image of Christ living in our midst.

In today’s Gospel, a scribe asked Jesus a very basic religious question: “What should I do to inherit eternal life?” In answer to the question, Jesus directed the scribe’s attention to the Sacred Scriptures. The Scriptural answer is, “love God and express it by loving your neighbor.” However, to the scribe the word “neighbor” meant another scribe or Pharisee – never a Samaritan or a Gentile. Hence, the scribe insisted on clarification of the word “neighbor.” So Jesus told him the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable clearly indicates that a “neighbor” is anyone who needs help.... So, the correct approach is not to ask, “Who is my neighbor?” but rather to ask, “Am I a good neighbor to others?” Jesus, the Heavenly Good Samaritan, gave us a final Commandment during the Last Supper, “Love one another as I have loved you,” because the invisible God dwells in every human being.

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho passes right through our home, parish, school and workplace. We may find our spouse, children or parents “wounded” by bitter words or scathing criticism or even by other more blatant forms of verbal or emotional abuse. Jesus invites us to show our love to others, in our own home, in school, in the workplace, and in the neighborhood, as the Good Samaritan did. Let us check to see if we are good neighbors. We are invited to be people of generosity, kindness, and mercy toward all who are suffering. A sincere smile, a cheery greeting, an encouraging word of appreciation, a heartfelt “thank you” can all work wonders!

Let us allow the ‘Good Samaritans’ to touch our lives. Let us be willing to touch, or be touched by, persons we have once disliked...

Let us pray that the Spirit of the Living God may melt us, mold us, and use us, so that there will no longer be even one person who is untouchable or outside the boundaries of compassion.