Neighbor, Love Thy Neighbor

The parable of the Good Samaritan was Jesus' response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" (As if they were not aware of the Genesis story of Cain and Abel where Cain, after asked by God where his brother was, answered God; "Am I my brother's keeper?"). As usual, Jesus responded convincingly and to the heart! He told them about the Good Samaritan.

It will be good to put the parable into context. The Jews believed that they were the chosen people. By virtue of that privilege, they expected to receive the Good News of salvation first. In fact, that was the plan of God. Jesus, the Good News, would be born a Jew and there He will fulfill His ministry. Samaria was not a Jewish town. It was a Gentile place. They were not expected to receive the Good News before the Jews. Going back to the parable, you can just imagine the reaction of his Jewish listeners in making a Gentile, a Samaritan, as the do-gooder and the Jews as the villains!

So who is the neighbor? It is easy to say that the neighbor is the victim in the parable or any victim for that matter. He is the one in need. The person who is lying on the ground needing assistance. The person who is hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, oppressed, confused, etc. And you will be right. Anyone who is in need is our neighbor. It is imperative for a Christian to extend anything he can do to alleviate the poverty and predicament of his neighbor. But if you notice, in the parable, Jesus pointed us to the other equally important neighbor, the Good Samaritan. He was the one who helped the victim. He saw to it that the victim was fully assisted. He even left something for him for his further sustenance after bringing him to a home care and entrusting him to a care giver. For Jesus, the neighbor is not only the one in need, but one who can help those in need! For Jesus, we must be neighbors to each other. We must take care of each other. We have the responsibility to see to it that we share and use the charisms, the gifts, that God had given us. From the words of St. Paul, it is ministering to each other. When we use Gods gifts for the good of the community we have become a minister. In this sense, to be a neighbor is to be a minister!

The parable thus reminds us that we must always be on the look out, not blind, mute, deaf or numb, to the needs of others. The time to help is now, here, and to everyone in need.

Neighbor, Love Thy Neighbor!