Who is Your Neighbor?
“…The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder;
You shall not steal; You shall not covet;’ and any other commandment,
are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Romans 13:9 NRSV
I ask you today: Who do you see as your neighbor? How do you serve your neighbor? How do you welcome your neighbor? Do you do it willingly, or are you resentful? Do you do it with love and mercy?
Being a neighbor is a two-way process. We give and we receive. We love and are thanked in return. But we do not serve others because we want thanks. We do it because we want to.
Loving others is a call to sacrifice our desires in order to serve God and our neighbor. God is calling us to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world; this often entails putting others first. It is a call to be instruments of justice, love and mercy in the world—a call to serve selflessly. It is by serving others that we welcome them. And by welcoming them, we invite them to experience God’s love.
As you journey through your day, look around and see the invisible people who are not respected and who are less fortunate. Who is my neighbor? Ask yourself at the end of each day: Did I show mercy today? Did I see someone sick, or hungry? Did I care for someone I am no longer in relationship with, maybe even an enemy? Did I see someone very different from myself, dressed differently, speaking differently and did I show mercy to him or her? Being a good neighbor is much harder than we realize. But following the example of Christ, we are called to put our neighbors first.
We may not be able to change the world, but we can change how we treat our neighbors; and we can start by welcoming, serving and loving them.
