When we hear the word love, we tend to think of the tender feeling we have for our spouse or significant other or those closet to us. But Jesus reminds us today that love is much more than a feeling. Love requires doing. After Jesus affirms that in order to inherit eternal life we must love our neighbors as ourselves, the lawyer asks, "And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). In this his story of the good Samaritan, Jesus clearly broadens the concept of neighbor, which at the time it was used in the Torah -”You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) - was thought to mean one’s fellow Israelite. But he also broadens the concept of love. Yes, Jesus says that the Samaritan feels compassion, but he goes into much greater detail about everything the Samaritan does out of love: stopping and approaching the injured man, treating and bandaging his wounds, lifting him up on his animal, taking him to an inn, caring for him all through the night, and paying the innkeeper generously. This is what love really is. This is how we love our neighbor and love God.
What will you do this week to put your love for someone else in action?
(Lect. 105 - Year C)
What will you do this week to put your love for someone else in action?
(Lect. 105 - Year C)
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