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REFLECTIONS
"Won't you be my neighbor?" Many of us are very
familiar with this phrase as it is sung at the beginning of "Mr.
Roger's Neighborhood" on TV. He has certainly been a favorite of
more than one generation of children. We can be struck by his gentleness
and simplicity, by his plain way of stating complex truths and by his
respect for those who come into his neighborhood. When Mr.Rogers is on
our kids often feel peaceful, safe and secure. Is it possible for things
to be as wonderful in the world around us as they seem in Mr. Roger's
neighborhood? We can look at this weekend's scriptures and try to find
out!
In our first reading we hear Moses' call to the people to heed the voice
of the Lord and to follow his commandments and statutes. He reminds the
people that these are not complicated matters. They are not something
arcane or far away. They are very near, in the mouths and hearts of the
people. The simply need to carry it out. In our Gospel we hear the story
of the Good Samaritan. We are struck by how the foreigner, the person
from Samaria, is the one who truly helps the man who is in need. That
Samaritan understood better than the "religious" people around
him what it meant to follow God. His neighbor, even if he seemed more
like a stranger or even an enemy, was in need. He saw it is his part to
step in and help.
God's law is close to us as well. We know that we are to love God above all things. That can seem quite easy to do. We can have a vague attitude of gratefulness to God for all the things we have received. We can turn to God in our times of need, as we're asked to do in our Psalm this weekend. We can "behave" ourselves well in Church and truly appear to be someone who loves God. The test though, comes when we go home again. The Good Samaritan story helps us realize that everybody is our neighbor. We're called to treat all people with courtesy, gentleness and respect. The color of a person's skin, their age, social status or intelligence make no difference. They are part of our own family. We're called to extend a helping hand. As we hear in the Gospel, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Our love for God must be lived out in the love we have for our neighbor.
Imagine how our lives would change if we consistently lived that way. We'd have very few problems in the world we live in. We could probably reduce or eliminate the military, the police force and the court system. We wouldn't need burglar alarms or security systems. We would be living together as the sisters and brothers God calls us to be. We might feel a little overwhelmed by God's command to love our neighbor as ourselves. We might even wonder what impact it would have on the world if we tried to do things God's way. Mother Theresa was once asked why she continued to serve the needs of the poorest of the poor in India. They reminded her that the work of one person couldn't make a difference when so many are suffering and helpless. Mother Theresa simply stated, "It makes a difference to this one."
So we do our best to love God through our love for others. This week we can take another look at who our neighbors are. We can also ask ourselves about those we don't see as our neighbors at all. Like the young man in this weekend's Gospel, our awareness can be expanded. He had to admit that the one who treated a stranger was neighbor to the robbers victim. The words spoken to the young man are spoken to us as well. "Go and do likewise."
Taken from Fr. Pat's Place
www.frpat.com