WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?

A reflection from Lk 10, 25-37

The first part of this gospel reminds us about the text of the rich man, who comes to Jesus with the same question: what must I do to receive eternal life? The answer of Jesus makes reference to the commandments, showing that he values a lot this orientation to the life.  Jesus proposes them because they don’t go against the freedom, but correspond to the deep desire of the human being in his search for personal achievement. According to Jesus, the commandments aren’t a list of rules to memorise, but guidance to live well, loving God and growing in brotherhood through the authentic love to the neighbour. 

The question: who is my neighbour? reveals that something is not very well in the comprehension of the commandment. Maybe the person who made the question to Jesus thought that the memorization of the Low is enough to praise God. This situation can happen also with us because, sometimes, we stay very worried in obeying rules and we forget the essential in the relationship with others. While we ask: who is our neighbour?, the reference is always ourselves and the satisfaction of our needs. But the parable that Jesus speaks about put the reference outside us, inverting the question: How can you be neighbour for others?

Being neighbour is not very easy because we are always busy and acting always with hurry. The busier we are the less capacity we have to see the needs of others. We must change our mentality and welcome the example of Jesus who is the Good Samaritan per excellence. He teaches us that the eternal life is only possible if the love to God is lived concretely in the love to others. For Jesus, the love is authentic and true when it is express through gestures of tenderness and compassion. The general rule to live well in the community life and in the mission is to spend the best of ourselves for the good of others, responding to their needs, going beyond of the established program.

Jesus identifies himself with the ones who are “fallen down beside the way”. Are we able to recognise his presence in the people who we usually meet? How do we respond to the needs of others when we are in hurry? “O Lord, open our eyes to see the need of our brothers and sisters. Inspire us words and actions in the service to them”. Amen.

Fr. Ndega