Who is my neighbor?

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" (MARTIN LUTHER KING JR).

“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,  “A man fell victim to robbers."

"A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight."

"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.”  (Luke 10:25-37 RM)

Monday 3rd October of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time.

A scholar of the law tests Jesus with a tricky question.  Our Master and Teacher answers the scholar.

“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.” (Luke 10: 27).

Jesus tells the scholar the parable of the Good Samaritan and ends the story by asking the lawyer:

"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.”  (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus concludes by saying to the man: "Do this and you will live."
St James amplifies this in his letter:  "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 26).

Jesus ends what we call the Parable of the Good Samaritan by saying to the scholar of the law: Go and do as the Good Samaritan. Every person in need is our neighbor.

You may call this Parable a story of mercy.
What is mercy? From the Parable, we may say that mercy is when someone shows you pity in a moment of great need.

Be a good neighbor.
Allow someone to be a good neighbor to you. Jesus is always a good neighbor.
Our neighbor is every person in need.

Jesus gave us the Divine Mercy Devotion through St Maria Faustina to teach us that initiative of mercy starts from God. This devotion is summarized through the ABC of Mercy:

A = Ask for mercy.
B = Be Merciful.
C = Completely trust Jesus for
mercy.

10.3  “If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins “you shall receive a never fading crown of glory.” (St Louis Marie de Monfort).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com