By Sherry Antonetti

 

 

“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 neighbor as yourself.”.~Luke 10:27

 

This quote from the bible is so well known; it has the nickname the “Golden rule.” Yet it is not from Christ that this is said, but by the scholar who wishes to test Jesus. Christ affirms what he states, and maybe because of the Gospel, combined with the first reading and the psalm for the day (69:14, 17, 30-31), I found myself focused on how knowable God’s heart is.

“Moses said to the people: “If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God, …it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.” (Dt 30:10-14)

God and Neighbor

The readings want us to know a deep, joyful abiding relationship with God and our neighbor is possible but requires our willful ongoing assent. Most of us will not find a person on the side of the road in need of immediate physical care, but we do have the cry of the poor on all sides. God speaks to us through their need –and our response to their needs is our response to God. The Priest and the Levite pass by; the Samaritan stops.

Life with all its demands often feels as if we cannot stop. It is part of why God gave us this gift of Sunday –so we would stop and give our full attention to God. He knows we have bills and groceries and errands and jobs, but when we see someone in need and feel the tug to act, we see “Christ in His most distressing disguise.” That tug is God’s call and usually involves some sort of stop within our lives. Life is not about just getting through and going on, but about helping others and ourselves to thrive.

Follow His Lead

God gives us opportunities to be the loving neighbor almost every day. It is easy to go through a day and not stop, keeping our lives efficient and our plans uninterrupted. However, to cross the road is to allow God to direct our path and to follow Him. When we say yes and act, we become the way others are invited to “go and do likewise.”

Prayer

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, direct me today. Show me the ones you want me to serve, and grant me the grace to cooperate, to do what is needed to reveal Your love for them. Thank you for all of your mercy in my life. Help me go and do likewise. Amen.

Call to Action

Do an inventory of your life –someone in it needs your help. They are on the side of the road. Cross over and begin the work. 

 

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