“But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
‘And who is my neighbor?’
‘...Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers' victim?’
He answered, ‘The one who treated him with mercy.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
The scholar of the law, likely a Scribe, puts it all down on the table, “Love God and love neighbor.” He risks everything, an all demanding response, but seeing the potential for loss, the possible cost of love, he hedges his bet, “And who is my neighbor?” For Jesus, it is not only the wrong question, but reveals the deeper hesitation to go all in. It reveals the self concern and self reference within all of our hearts. We seek to limit our obligations based on the definition of the other: just give me a rule to follow. As we hear in the first reading, the law isn’t out there somewhere, defined by exterior expectations and behaviors, but within our very hearts. Transformation, not conformation, is the path to inherit eternal life.
That’s why Jesus doesn’t answer the question that is asked. He doesn’t define the limits of our action toward others. He doesn’t identify who we are obligated to love, or not love, as our neighbor. Jesus doesn’t even say, “Everyone is your neighbor.” To the scholar, to Jesus’s listeners, and to us, that would have been radical enough! A few chapters earlier in Luke’s gospel, in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus says, “But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” He gives us the Golden Rule, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Jesus isn’t shy about defining our obligation to love all, even our enemies. Inheriting eternal life, however, isn’t just about the rules to follow, no matter how broad. It is more than conforming our behaviors to an external standard. It is about a change of heart that results in action.
One of the most difficult journeys in life for each of us is the 18 inches from our head to our heart. We don’t just have to know what to do and do it, we have to embrace the very life of God within us. We have to let God take our cold hearts of stone and change them to compassionate hearts of flesh. We have to quit trying to figure our who is neighbor in relation to us (self referential) and become a neighbor for others. Even in the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as [also] your Father is merciful.” It gets to the core of who we are. Of course, actions are important, but God wants more. It is truly radical: God wants everything we are. The scholar sensed this and hedged his bets. Jesus doubled down. We don’t just define who our neighbor is, we become a neighbor for others. Jesus doesn’t just define the rules, he changes the game. There is no limit, “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.” There’s no hedging. It’s all or nothing.
In addition to the above reflection, I also wanted to share with you that I will be leaving on Monday for a trip to Kenya from July 15 to July 26. I will be traveling with some priests from the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate, an order from India with a number of priests here in the Archdiocese of Louisville, and we will be visiting their missions and ministries there. I will also be visiting the Generalate for the Apostles of Jesus order, which has two priests working in our Archdiocese. Fr. Steven Reeves and our fine staff will be available for any needs. Although I will have limited communication, I will keep you in my prayers daily. Please keep me in yours. Peace.