Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

“Who is my neighbour?” (Lk 10:29)

Lord, open our hearts to those we do not see

Additional scripture passages

• Romans 13:8-10
• Psalm 119:57-63

Commentary

The teacher of the law wanted to justify himself, hoping that the neighbour he is called to love is one of his own faith and people. This is a natural human instinct. When we invite people to our homes, they are quite often people who share our social status, our outlook on life and our values. There is a human instinct to prefer places of familiarity. This is also true of our Church communities. But Jesus takes the lawyer, and his wider audience, deeper into their own tradition by reminding them of the obligation to welcome and to love all, regardless of religion, culture or social status.

The Gospel teaches that loving those who are like ourselves is nothing special. Jesus steers us towards a much more radical version of what it means to be human. The parable illustrates in a very visible way what Christ expects from us – to open wide our hearts and walk in his way, loving others as he loves us. In fact, Jesus answers the lawyer with another question: it is not “who is my neighbour?”, but “who was a neighbour to the man in need?”

Our times of insecurity and fear confront us with a reality where distrust and uncertainty come to the forefront of relationships. This is the challenge of the parable today: to whom am I a neighbour?

Reflection

The Lawyer’s Tale

I love God’s Law.

I dearly, dearly want to keep the Law.

It’s the foundation of my life

and my eternity.

But I want to know how,

I want to do it right.

That’s why I asked

who it is that I should love as myself.

And he answered

with a tale about a strange encounter,

an encounter of strangers.

And I will reflect

about the one who showed mercy.

And I bear the challenge

to be like that one,

to walk

in the outlaw’s shadow.

Prayer

God of love,

who writes love in our hearts,

instil in us the courage to look beyond ourselves

and see the neighbour in those different from ourselves

and to be the unexpected neighbour,

that we may truly follow Jesus Christ – 

our brother and our friend,

who is Lord, for ever and ever. Amen.